WAI 


AR  INFORMATION  SERIES 


No.  20-  October,  1918 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK 
CONSPIRACY 


Hf 

T 
1  th 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIPORNI^ 


L.  i  B 


iS  IS.  ISSUED  BY 

THE   COMMITTEE   ON  JPUBLIC   INFORMATION 

GEORGE  CREEL,  Chairman 


CONTENTS 


PAOB 

Introduction 3 

PART  I.      THE    GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK     CONSPIRACY:        A     REPORT  BY 
EDGAR  SISSON,  SPECIAL  REPRESENTATIVE  IN   RUSSIA. 

Chapter      I.     The  Basic  Conspiracy 5 

Chapter    II.     Role  of  the  Reichsbank 9 

Chapter  III.     The  Cerman-Bolshevik  Plot  Against  the  Allies.  .  11 

Chapter   l\ .     The    Plot   for    a    Shameful    Peace — The    Ukraini.\n 

Double-Cross 15 

Chapter     V.     Trotsky  and  Roumania — Espionage  and  Assassination  17 

Chapter  VI.     The  Complete  Surrender — Varied  Activities 24 


Appendix    I.     Documents  Circulated  by  Anti-Bolsheviki  in  Russia .  .     26 

Appendix  II.  A  Conversation  by  Telegraph  between  Chicherin  at 
Petrograd  (who  is  Speaking)  and  Trotsky  at 
Brest-Litovsk 2° 

PART  II 

I.  Letter  of   Mr.  Creel  to  the  National  Board  for  Historical 

Service  (October  18,  1918) 29 

II.  Report  of  the  Special  Committee  on  the  Genuineness  of  the 
*    Documents  (October  26,  1918) 29 


The  German-Bolshevik  Conspiracy 


SRLF 
YRL 


INTRODUCTION 


The  Committee  on  Public  Information 
publishes  herewith  a  series  of  communica- 
tions between  the  German  Imperial  Gov- 
ernment and  the  Russian  Bolshevik  Gov- 
ernment, and  between  the  Bolsheviks 
themselves,  and  also  the  report  thereon 
made  to  George  Creel  by  Edgar  Sisson,  the 
committee's  special  representative  in  Rus- 
sia during  the  winter  of  1917-18.  There  is 
also  included,  in  Part  II,  a  report  by  a 
committee  appointed  by  the  National 
Board  for  Historical  Service  to  examine 
into  the  genuineness  of  these  docimients. 

The  documents  show  that  the  present 
heads  of  the  Bolshevik  Government — 
Lenin  and  Trotsky  and  their  associates — 
are  German  agents. 

They  show  that  the  Bolshevik  revolu- 
tion was  arranged  for  by  the  German 
Great  General  Staff,  and  financed  by  the 
German  Imperial  Bank  and  other  Ger- 
man financial  institutions. 

They  show  that  the  treaty  of  Brest- 
Litovtk  was  a  betrayal  of  the  Rusiiian 
people  by  the  German  agents,  Lenin  and 
Trotsky;  that  a  German-picked  com- 
mander was  chosen  to  "defend"  Petrograd 
against  the  Germans;  that  German  officers 
have  been  secretly  received  by  the  Bol- 
shevik Government  as  military  advisers, 
as  spies  upon  the  embassies  of  Russia's 
allies,  as  officers  in  the  Russian  army,  and 
as  directors  of  the  Bolshevik  military,  for- 
eign, and  domestic  policy.  They  show,  in 
short,  that  the  present  Bolshevik  Govern- 
ment is  not  a  Russian  government  at  all, 
but  a  German  government  acting  solely 
in  the  interests  of  Germany  and  betraying 
the  Russian  people,  as  it  betrays  Russia's 
natural  allies,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Im- 
perial German  Government  alone. 
Russian  Workmen  Betrayed 

And  they  show  also  that  the  Bolshevik 
leaders,  for  the  same  German  Imperial 
ends,  have  equally  betrayed  the  working 
classes  of  Russia  whom  they  pretend  to 
represent. 

The  documents  are  some  70  in  number. 
Many  are  originals,  annotated  by  Bolshe- 
vik officials.  The  balance  of  the  others 
are  photograplis  of  originals,  showing  an- 
notations. And  they  corroborate  a  third 
set  of  typewritten  circulars  (see  Appendix 
later)  of  which  only  two  originals  are 
possessed  in  any  form,  but  all  of  which  fit 
into  the  whole  pattern  of  German  in- 
trigue and  German  guilt. 

The  first  document  is  a  photograph  of  a 
report  made  to  the  Bolshevik  leaders  by 
two  of  their  assistants,  informing  them 
that,  in  accordance  with  their  instructions. 


there  had  been  removed  from  the  archives 
of  the  Russian  Ministry  of  Justice,  the 
order  of  the  German  Imperial  Bank  "al- 
lowing money  to  Comrades  Lenin, 
Trotsky,  'and  others'  for  the  propaganda 
of  peace  in  Russia";  and  that,  at  the 
same  time,  "all  the  books"  of  a  bank  in 
Stockholm  had  been  "audited"  to  conceal 
the  payment  of  money  to  Lenin,  Trotsky, 
and  their  associates,  by  order  of  the  Ger- 
man Imperial  Bank. 

This  report  is  indorsed,  in  Lenin's 
initials,  "V.  U."  [Vladimir  Ulianoff,  his 
real  name],  for  deposit  in  "the  secret 
department"  of  the  Bolshevik  files.  And 
the  authenticity  of  the  report  is  supported 
by  Document  No.  2,  which  is  the  original 
of  a  report  sent  by  a  German  General 
Staff  representative  to  the  Bolshevik  lead- 
ers, warning  them  that  he  has  just  ar- 
rested an  agent  who  had  in  his  possession 
the  original  order  of  the  German  Imperial 
Bank  referred  to  in  Document  No.  1,  and 
pointing  out  that  evidently  '  at  the  proper 
time  steps  were  not  taken  to  destroy  the 
above-mentioned  documents." 

Protocol  Signed  by  Leaders 

Document  No.  3  is  the  original  proto- 
col signed  by  several  Bolshevik  leaders 
and  dated  November  2,  1917  (Russian  cal- 
endar), showing  that  "on  instructions  of 
the  representatives  of  the  German  General 
Staff  in  Petrograd"  and  "with  the  consent 
of  the  Council  of  People's  Commissars,'' 
of  which  Trotsky  and  Lenin  were  the 
heads,  two  incriminating  German  circulars 
had  also  been  "taken  from  the  Department 
of  Counter  Espionage  of  the  Petrograd  dis- 
trict" and  given  to  the  Intelligence  Bureau 
of  the  German  General  Staff  in  Petrograd. 
On  the  bottom  of  the  protocol  the  German 
adjutant  acknowledges  receipt  of  the  two 
incriminating  circulars  with  his  cipher  sig- 
nature. 

These  two  circulars  apparently  had  been 
obtained  earh-  in  the  war  by  some  Russian 
agent  in  Germany  and  transmitted  to 
Russia.  The  German  General  Staff  evi- 
dently wished  to  get  them  back  in  order 
to  remove  evidence.  By  the  order  of  the 
German  General  Staff  and  with  the  "con- 
sent" of  Lenin  and  Trotsky  they  are 
turned  over  to  the  Germans.  WTiy?  Be- 
cause they  fit  in  with  other  information 
of  Germany's  war  plans  and  preparations 
before  August,  1914.  Indeed,  several 
weeks  before  the  assassination  of  the  Aus- 
trian Archduke,  which  was  made  the  pre- 
text for  war. 

And  Lenin  and  Trotsky  surrender  them 
in  conformity  with  a  working  agreement 


between  the  Bolshevik  leaders  and  the 
German  General  Staff,  of  which  agreement 
a  photograph  is  included  in  the  series  as 
Document  No.  5. 

This  is  dated  October  25,  1917.  It  is 
from  a  division  of  the  German  General 
Staff.  It  is  addressed  to  the  Government 
of  the  People's  Commissars,  of  which 
Lenin  and  Trotsky  were  the  heads.  It  be- 
gins: "In  accordance  with  the  agreement 
which  took  place  in  Kronstadt,  in  Julj'  of 
the  present  year,  between  officials  of  our 
General  Staff  and  leaders  of  the  Russian 
revolutionary  army  and  democracy, 
Messrs.  Lenin  and  Trotsky,  Raskolnikov, 
and  Dybenko,  the  Russian  Division  of 
our  General  Staff  operating  in  Fin- 
land is  ordering  to  Petrograd  officers 
for  the  disposal  of  the  Intelligence  Bureau 
of  the  staff."  Among  the  officers  namei': 
are  Maj.  Luberts  and  Lieut.  Hartwig. 
whose  cipher  signature,  Henrich,  is  given 
as  it  appears  on  the  receipt  for  the  Iw 
circulars  accompanying  Ducuiiient  No.  3 
And  an  indorsement  on  this  letter  (No.  .-.' 
from  the  German  General  Staff  recoils 
that  the  German  officers  assigned  to  Petro- 
grad had  appeared  "before  the  military 
revolutionary  committee"  and  had  "agreed 
on  conditions  with  regard  to  their  mutual 
activities." 

Mutual  Activities  Shown 

What  their  "mutual  activities"  were  to 
be  is  sufficiently  indicated  by  Document 
No.  7,  which  is  a  photograph  of  a  letter 
signed  in  cipher  by  this  Maj.  Luberts  and 
his  adjutant,  Lieut.  Hartwig.  They  notify 
the  Bolshevik  leaders,  on  Januarj-  12,  1918 
(Russian  calendar),  that  "by  order  of  the 
German  General  Staff"  the  German  Intelli- 
gence Bureau  "has  reported  the  names 
and  the  characteristics  of  the  main  can- 
didates for  reelection"  to  the  Russian  Bol- 
shevik "Central  Executive  Committee," 
and  "the  General  Staff  orders  us  to  insist 
on  the  election  of  the  following  persons." 
They  add  a  list  of  Russian  leaders  satis- 
factory to  the  German  General  Staff.  The 
list  is  headed  by  Trotsky  and  Lenin. 
They  were  elected,  and  the  rest  of  the 
present  Bolshevik  executive  committee 
were  chosen  from  the  same  German  list. 

Document  No.  8  gives  evidence  of  the 
quid  pro  quo.  It  is  a  photograph  of  a 
letter  from  the  representative  of  the  Ger- 
man Imperial  Bank  to  the  Bolsherik 
Commissar  of  Foreign  Affairs.  It  is 
marked  "Verj-  secret"  and  dated  January 
8,  1918.  It  says:  "Notification  has  to- 
day been  received  by  me  from  Stockholm 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


that'"50,O0O,OOO  roubles  of  gold  has  been 
transferred  to  be  put  at  the  disposal  of  the 
People's  Commissars,"  which  is  the  title 
of  the  Bolshevik  leaders.  "This  credit," 
the  letter  continues,  "has  been  supplied 
to  the  Russian  Government  in  order  to 
cover  the  cost  of  the  keep  of  the  Red 
Guards  [the  Bolshevik  revolutionary' 
troops]  and  agitators  in  the  country.  The 
Imperial  Government  considers  it  appro- 
priate to  remind  the  Council  of  People's 
Commissars  of  the  necessity  of  increasing 
their  propaganda  in  the  country,  as  the  an- 
tagonistic attitude  of  the  south  of  Russia 
and  Siberia  to  the  existing  Government  in 
Russia  is  troubling  the  German  Govern- 
ment." 

War  Materials  at  Vladivostok 

Four  days  later  the  same  representative 
of  the  German  Imperial  Bank  sent  another 
5,000,000  roubles  to  the  same  address  to 
provide  for  the  sending  of  a  Russian  revo- 
lutionary leader  to  Vladivostok,  to  get 
possession  of  the  "Japanese  and  Ameri- 
can war  materials"  at  that  port,  and  if 
necessary  to  destroy  them.  A  photograph 
of  his  letter  is  given  as  Document  No.  9. 

There  were  earlier  payments,  but 
probably  none  later  than  these.  None 
was  necessary.  By  this  time  the  loot 
of  an  empire  lay  open  to  the  Bolshe- 

ks — and   to   the   Germans. 

Most  significant  of  al!  are  two  photo- 
.■*\Taphs  of  further  communications  from 
tl  e  German  Imperial  Bank,  given  as 
Documents  Nos.  10  and  11.  One  is  a 
letter  addressed  to  the  Chairman  of  the 
Council  of  People's  Commissars,  and  the 
other  is  the  "resolution  of  a  conference  of 
representatives  of  the  German  commer- 
cial banks"  rcceivetl  by  the  Chairman  of 
the  Bolshevik  Central  Executive  Commit- 
tee and  indorsed  by  his  secretary.  To- 
gether they  give  a  complete  .synopsis  of 
the  terms  on  which  Germany  intends  to 
have  control  of  all  Russian  industries. 

For  five  years  from  the  signing  of  peace, 
English,  French,  and  American  capital 
in  Russia  is  to  be  "banished"  and  "not 
to  be  allowed  in  the  following  industries: 
coal,  metallurgical,  machine  building,  oil, 
chemical,  and  pharmaceutical."  These  in- 
dustrie.s  are  to  be  developed  under  the 
control  of  a  "supreme  advisory  organ  con- 
sisting of  10  Russian  specialists,  10  from 
the  German  industrial  organizations  ami 
the  German  and  Austrian  banks."  Germany 
and  Au.stria  are  to  "enjoy  the  unlimited 
privilege  of  .sending  into  Russia  mechanics 
and  qualified  workmen."  "Other  foreign 
mechanics  and  workmen  .  .  .  are  not 
to  be  allowed  to  enter  at  all"  for  five  year.f 
after  the  conclusion  of  peace  between 
Russia  and  Germany.  "Private  Vjanks  in 
Rus-sia  arise  only  with  the  con.sent"  of 
the  Union  of  German  and  Austrian  banks. 
And  so  forth. 

Conspiracy  is  Indorsed 

.\nd    I  Ins    fonspiracy    between    German 

Imperial     capitalism    and    the    pretended 

Russian  Reds  is  indorsf^d  by  a   nnlshcvik 


leader,  with  the  recommendation  that  it 
should  be  "taken  under  advisement"  and 
"the  ground  prepared  in  the  Council  of 
the  Workmen's  and  Soldiers'  Deputies,  in 
case  the  Council  of  People's  Commissars 
will  not  accept  these  requests." 

Various  details  of  the  conspiracy  be- 
tween the  Bolshevik  leaders  and  the  Ger- 
man General  Staff  are  exposed  in  docu- 
ments Nos.  16  to  29.  These  are  photographs 
of  letters  which  passed  between  the  Bol- 
shevik leaders  and  the  German  General 
Staff,  or  the  German  officers  in  Russia. 
Document  No.  21  shows  that  on  Novem- 
ber 1,  1917,  when  Russia  was  still  re- 
garded as  an  ally  of  Great  Britain,  France, 
and  America,  the  German  General  Staff 
was  having  "the  honor  to  request"  the 
Bolshevik  leaders  to  inform  it  "at  the 
earliest  possible  moment"  concerning  "the 
quantity  and  storage  place  of  the  supplies 
which  have  been  received  from  America, 
England,  and  France,  and  also  the  units 
which  are  keeping  guard  over  the  military 
stores." 

Document  18  shows  the  German  Gen- 
eral Staff  requiring  the  Bolshevik  lead- 
ers to  send  "agitators  to  the  camps  of 
the  Russian  prisoners  of  war  in  Germany." 
in  order  that  they  might  procure  spies  to 
work  among  the  English  and  French 
troops  and  to  further  "peace  propaganda." 
.\nd  this  is  proposed  by  the  Gernian  Gen- 
eral Staff  as  being  "according  to  the  ne- 
gotiations between  the  Russian  and  Ger- 
man peace  delegations  at  Brest-Litovsk." 

In  Document  22  the  Bolshevik  leaders 
and  the  Germans  are  arranging  to  send 
"agents-agitators,  and  agents-destructors" 
out  of  Vladivostok  "to  ports  of  the  United 
States,  Japan,  and  British  colonies  in  East- 
cm  Asia." 

Passports    for    Germans 

In  Document  16  Trotsky  is  providing 
fraudulent  passports  for  German  officers 
who  are  going  to  England,  France,  and 
America,  as  spies  and  enemy  agents.  And 
Document  17  shows  Trotsky  indorsing  a 
similar  proposal :  "To  be  urgently  exe- 
cuted.    L.  T." 

Three  German  submarines  are  to  bo 
sent  to  the  Pacific  on  the  trans-Siberian 
railway  by  orders  of  the  German  High 
Command  in  Document  No.  23.  Lists  of 
German  and  Ru.ssian  spies  watching  the 
British,  French,  and  American  embassies 
in  Petrograd  arc  given  in  Docimient  No. 
25.  And,  finally,  in  Docvnnent  No.  15  the 
Bolshevik  leaders  are  warned  that  infor- 
mation concerning  "the  connection  of  the 
German  Government  with  the  Bolshevik 
workers"  ha.s  leaked  out  and  that  Rus- 
sian troops  are  hearing  of  it. 

Letters  are  given  to  show  how  the  I!oi- 
shcvik  leaders  and  the  German  officers 
arranged  for  the  assassination  of  Rus- 
sian Nationali.st  leaders  (Documents  35, 
39.  and  52),  for  the  destruction  of  the 
Polish  legionaries  in  the  Russian  army 
(Documents  10  to  42),  for  the  disorgani- 
zfition  of  till.'  Roinnanian  armv  and  the  de- 


posing of  the  Roumanian  king  (Docu- 
ment No.  37),  for  the  substitution  of  offi- 
cers satisfactory  to  Germany  in  command 
of  Russian  troops  instead  of  patriotic  Rus- 
sian generals  (Documents  31  and  32),  for 
the  suppression  of  patriotic  agitation 
among  the  Russian  soldiers  (Documents 
13  and  14),  for  an  attack  upon  the  Italian 
ambassador  in  Petrograd  and  the  theft 
of  his  papers  (Documents  26  and  27),  and 
for  the  employment  of  German  soldiers 
in  Russian  uniforms  against  the  Russian 
national  armies  in  the  South  (Docu- 
ment 35). 

Several  of  the  letters  are  indorsed  by 
Trotsky.  Even  standing  alone,  they  are 
complete  proof  that  the  Bolshevik  lead- 
ers were  ruling  as  German  agents  in  Rus- 
sia, and  obeying  German  orders  to  act 
against  all  Germany's  enemies  and  even 
against  Russia  itself. 

Acted  as  German  Agents 

Moreover,  these  Bolshevik  leaders  acted 
as  German  agents  by  suppressing  their 
own  socialist  revolution  in  the  Russian 
provinces  where  their  doctrines  interfered 
with  German  plans  of  annexation.  Docu- 
ment 46  is  the  original  letter  from  the 
Petrograd  Intelligence  Biu'eau  of  the  Ger- 
man General  Staff  addressed  to  the  Bolshe- 
vik Commissar  of  Foreign  Affairs.  It  reads : 
"According  to  instructions  of  the  repre- 
seu/tative  of  our  General  Staff,  I  ha'e  the 
honor  once  more  to  insist  that  you  recall 
from  Esthonia,  Lithuania,  and  Courland 
all  agitators  of  the  Central  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Council  of  Workmen's 
and  Soldiers'  Deputies."  And  in  Docu- 
ment 47  the  General  Staff  orders  the  Bol- 
she\'iki  to  cease  the  agitation  in  Esthonia 
which  had  "finally  led  to  the  local  German 
lanillords  being  declared  outlawed,"  and 
to  "take  immediate  steps  for  tlie  restor- 
ing of  the  rights  of  the  above-mentioned 
German  landlords." 

Another  group  of  letters  (Nos.  33  to 
36)  shows  how  the  Germans  cheated  the 
Bolshevik  leaders  in  their  dealings  with 
the  Ukraine  and  made  a  separate  Ger- 
man peace  with  the  anti-Bolshevik  lead- 
ers in  that  Russian  province.  And  an- 
other group  shows  the  Germans  assisting 
both  sides  of  the  civil  war  in  Finland 
(Documents  38,  43,  and  53). 

The  documents,  as  thej'  follow,  are  given 
in  the  main  in  the  report  form  in  which 
they  were  transmitted  by  Mr.  Sisson  to 
Mr.  Creel,  chairman  of  the  committee, 
with  some  later  data  added  and  carefully 
indicated.  For  instance,  Mr.  Sisson  did 
not  learn  until  several  weeks  after  he  had 
left  Russia  that  the  German  order  (which 
he  po.sses.sed)  naming  the  Russian  who 
was  to  "defen<l"  I'etrograd  had  been 
obeyed. 

In  pre])aring  this  material  for  ))ublica- 
tion  as  a  pamphlet  advantage  has  been 
taken  of  the  opporttinity  to  improve  in 
.some  mooted  points  the  form  in  xvliicli 
the  documents  and  triiiisjatidii.-i  arc  )ire- 
sented. 


PART  I 

The  German-Bolshevik  Conspiracy 

A  REPORT  BY 

EDGAR      SISSON 

Special   Representative  in  Russia  of   the  Committee  on  Public  Information  in  the   Winter  of   1917-18 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE  BASIC  CONSPIRACY 

Three  groups  of  documents  are  sub- 
jected to  internal  analysis  in  the  material 
that  follows.  One  group  consists  of  origi- 
nals, one  group  consists  of  photographs  of 
documents  believed  still  to  be  in  the  file 
rooms  of  the  Russian  Bolsheviki,  and  the 
third  (Appendix  I)  of  typewritten  circulars 
that  have  not  been  traced  to  their  origi- 
nals except  perhaps  in  the  case  of  two 
of  the  number.  The  chief  importance  of 
the  third  group  is  that  its  appearance  in- 
spired the  efforts  that  led  to  the  uncover- 
ing of  the  other  groups.  And  they  fit  into 
the  fabric  of  the  whole. 

The  first  set  of  these  appendix  circulars 
came  into  my  hands  on  February  2,  in 
Petrograd.  An  additional  set  appeared 
the  following  day  at  an  office  where  I  fre- 
quently called.  A  third  appeared  in  an- 
other quarter  a  day  afterwards.  One  set 
was  in  Russian  and  two  in  English.  On 
February  5  I  held  all  three  sets.  A  pos- 
sible explanation  for  their  appearance  at 
this  time  and  their  intent  is  given  in  Ap- 
pendix I. 

By  themselves  they  were  plausible  but 
not  substantiated.  Having  first  performed 
the  obvious  duty  of  analyzing  them  for 
surface  values  and  transmitting  them  and 
the  analyses  to  Washington,  I  turned, 
therefore,  to  the  task  of  further  investi- 
gations. 

It  isf  not  yet  possible  to  name  those 
who  helped,  but  in  three  weeks'  time  the 
judgment  of  facts  became  apparent. 

The  text  of  the  documents  discloses  both 
the  methods  and  the  effects  of  the  Ger- 
man conspiracy  not  alone  against  Russia, 
but  the  world.  With  each  document  is 
the  indication  of  whether  it  is  an  original 
or  photograph.  With  each  document  is  an 
interpretati\e  note. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  1 


People's    Commissary    for    Foreign    Affairs. 

{Very  Secret) 
Petrograd,  November  16,  1917. 
To  THE  Chairman  of  the  Cottncil  of 

People's  Commissars: 

In  accordance  with  the  resolution 
passed  by  the  conference  of  People's 
Commissars,  Comrades  Lenin,  Trot- 
sky, Podvoi.sky,  Dybenko,  and  Volo- 
darsky,  the  following  has  been  exe- 
cuted by  us: 

1.  In  the  archives  of  the  Ministry 
of  Justice  from  the  dossier  re  "trea- 
son" of  Comrades  Lenin,  ZinoviefT, 
Koslovsky,  Kollontai  and  others,  has 
been  removed  the  order  of  the  Ger- 
man Imperial  Bank,  No.  7433,  of  the 
second  of  March,  1917,  for  allowing 
rnoney  to  Comrades  Lenin,  ZinoviefT, 
Kameneff,  Trotsky,  Sumenson,  Kos- 
lovsky and  others  for  the  propaganda 
of  peace  in  Russia. 

2.  There  have  been  audited  all  the 
books  of  the  Nia  Bank  at  Stockholm 
containing  the  accounts  of  Com- 
rades Lenin,  Trotsky,  Zinovieff,  and 
others,  which  were  opened  by  the 
order  of  the  German  Imperial  Bank 
No.  2754.  These  books  have  been 
dehvered  to  Comrade  MuUer,  who 
was  sent  from  Berlin. 


Authorized    by  the    Commi.ssar    for 
Foreign  Affairs. 

E.  Polivanofp. 

F.  Zalkind. 

Note.' — The  Russian  Council  of  Peo- 
ple's Co7Hmissars  was  dominated  by  the 
president,  Vladimir  Ulianov  {Lenin);  the 
then  foreign  minister,  Leon  Trotsky,  now 
var  minister;  and  the  ambassador  to  Ger- 
mmiy,  A.  Jofje.  The  marginal  indorse- 
7nent  in  writing  is:  "To  the  secret  department . 
B.  U."  This  is  the  fashion  in  ivkich  Lenin 
is  accustomed  to  initial  himself.  The  English 
equivalent  would  be  V.  U .,  for  Vladimir 
Ulianov.  So,  even  if  there  existed  no  further 
record  of  German  Imperial  Bank  order  No. 
7433,  here  woidd  be  the  proof  of  its  contents, 
and  here  is  the  link  connecting  Lenin  directly 
with  his  action  and  his  guilt.  The  content 
matter  of  the  circular  exists,  however,  ami 
herewith  follows: 

Order  of  the  2d  of  March,  1917,  of  the 
Imperial  Bank  for  the  representatives  of  all 
German  banks  in  Sweden: 

Notice  is  hereby  given  that  requisition  for 
money  for  the  purpose  of  peace  propaganda 
in  Russia  will  be  received  through  Finland. 
These  requisitions  will  emanate  from  the 
following:  Lenin,  Zinovieff,  Kameneff, 
Trotsky,  Smnenson,  Koslovsky,  Kollontai, 
Sivers,  and  Merkalin,  accounts  for  whom 
have  been  opened  in  accordance  with  our 
order  No.  2754  in  the  agencies  of  private 
German  businesses  in  Sweden,  Norway,  and 
Switzei'land.     All    these    requests    should 


bear  one  of  the  two  following  signatures: 
Dirshau  or  Milkenberg.  With  either  ot 
these  signatures  th<!  requests  of  the  above- 
mentioned  persons  should  be  complied  with 
without  delay. — 7453,  Imperial  Bank. 

/  have  not  a  copy  of  this  circular  nor  a 
photograph  of  it,  but  Document  No.  2,  next 
in  order,  proves  its  authenticity  at  once 
curiously  and  absolutely.  Particular  interest 
attaches  to  this  circular  because  of  Bolsheirik 
public  denial  of  its  existence.  It  was  one  of 
several  German  circulars  published  in  Paris 
in  the  "Petit  Parisien"  last  v.nnter.  The 
Petrograd  Bolshevik  papers  proclaimed  it  a 
falsehood.  Zalkind,  whose  signature  appears 
not  only  here  but  on  the  protocol  {Document 
No.  3),  was  an  assistaiU  foreign  minister. 
He  was  sent  in  February  on  a  mission 
outside  of  R-ussia.  He  was  in  Christiania 
in  April  when  I  was  there. 

Hare  photograph  of  the  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  2 


G[reat)      Gleneral]       S[tafl],      Intelligence 

[Nachrichten]    Bureau,   Section   A,   No. 

292. 

{Secret) 
February  12,  1918. 
To  THE  Chairman  of  the  Council  of 
People's  Commissars: 
The    Intelligence    Bureau    has    th" 
honor     to     inform     you     that     there 


MCHRICHTENBUREAU. 

BecUoB     ^V. 


^  ihSL 


icpeTHO. 


r. •  IlpeflctflaTejuo  CoEtTa  HapoaHHXj  KoMHccapoBS-j.^ 


y^.  Senpejra  I9I8  ^-  y    /  (/ 


/j/(,r    PasB^floqHoe  Oifl^eHle  HuieTi.  wecTB  coo5mKTL,  .std 
J/MHaSfleHHhJe  y  apecTOBaaliaro  Kan.   KoHmnHa  ;iBa  repuaB- 

OKHxi  fiOKyveHTa  ci  nouiTKaMU  k  mTeune.iiflHH  rieTepffypr- 

2J<iaro  OxpajiHaro  OTst.neHlH,   npeflCTaB;iflH)Tt  coSoio  nofl- 
HHs  npHKasH  HktnepcKara  BaHKa  sa  11°  7433  ots  2  Map- 

Ta  I8I7  rofla  o8i  OfKpHiia  cseTOBi.  r.r.' JleHHHyiCyMeH- 

coHt,  KosjiOBOKOMy,  'TpouKOuy  b  flpyrnMs  fltaTe.iSMs  ae. 

nponaraHfly  MHpa.j  no  opflepy  HunepcKaro  BaHKa     8ft 

C  2'&4. 

Sto  OTKpHTie  jOKasuBaeis,  isto  H9  i%!fn  cBoeBpeueH- 

HO  npBHHTH  Mips  fl.rta  yHiiyioaeHia  OBHaijeHHHXs  flOKyueH- 

TOBivv -y 

A.  Ha5aJi£HHKS  OTfllneHia 


AfliWTaH  Vb       ^ 


Facsimile  of  Document  Number  2 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


II'  P  0  T   0   :<  0  X  3 
CeH  nioTOHOJit  cocT-aBjioH-!,   HaMPi   ^   HofSj?   IV 17   ro,-a 

B'!.    nnyx-h    3K39Mn;i;»paXT,    B»    TOMS,    HTO    HOvJI    CI.    corjiB-ci' 

"OB^Tft    !a?o;iHuxi    <OMHCcapoB'B   Bat  ;\f-JiT>    KoHTpi-Paasf.- 
aoMHaro   OTa^;:eBi>'  raToorpaflcxaro   OKpyra  m  6ubi.   i;e- 
naoTaueHTB  Ilo^iirniK,    no   nopyHeHiio  "?eflCTaBHTe;iei:    Veo- 
uaHCKaro   r9Hepa;ibHaro   '^Ta6a  bs  HeTporpaE*   HsiRTa: 

1  ,';iiipKy;iffpt   reOMaSCKiPO   refrepajiiaaro   TTaSa  .Ta 
V.  A,ll   OTt   t    IioHj"    itll   r.    o   Heusa;i9HH0*i   uo6ii;iyi3ati» 
BC*-xt   n  )OMa'i:naHHbixi   n  lannpi^T  i'fi   bi   repMBHiii   h 

^.^Hp^yjisp*  renepajiiHaro  "iTafia  5;ioTa  OTKpirraro 
•'oofl  3a  ■"  ^3  OT*  25  Bo«(Jp;j   ii  14  r.    o   nocujiK*  "lo  Bpax-* 
i96hu;i  CTpaii-'  cnoTiaAiasxj.  Araajoas  aJKi  i!CTp96jieai>' 
eoe-iuxt   3anacoBi>   h  NaTepIa;iOBt . 

C3HaHeHHbi9    'iupKyjii'pu   napaflaHH   noffi  pocnncKj   S7. 
""a^B'^oHHoe    0T,",*-J:9Hie   fopvaHCKaro   ^xaOa   Bi  HaTporpafll^ 

;no;moMO«0HHN9  CoBtra   Ha>oBHuxi,  Somhccpjobi' 


't£*^l^fc<^ 


^^ 


OsKe.HfHHb'e  Bi  H^  -ofiLieMi  npoTOKOJit  UJipKy;iflF'»  IC  IC  421  ■  93,  a  WKae 
Qz::«t  r-Kseuanxp*  stcpo  HpoTOKora  ooflyiieHa  3  HoaCpji  1917  r.  PasiiflovHUKi. 
CTr:t.'iCMi  r.r.III.   Bi  nerepSyprt. 


AnilOTaHTi- 


7Z^ 


were  found  on  the  arrested  Capt. 
Konshin  two  German  documents  witli 
notations  and  stamps  of  tlio  Pctirs- 
burg  secret  police  [Oklirana]  which 
nhow  themselves  to  be  the  orininal 
orders  of  the  Imperial  Bank,  No.  7433, 
March  2,  1017,  concerning  the  open- 
ing of  accounts  for  Messrs.  Lenin, 
Sumonson,  Ko.'<lovsky,  Trotsky,  and 
other  active  workers  on  the  peace 
propaganda,  by  order  No.  2754  of  the 
Impi-riul  iJank. 

'i"he.'ic  diHcoveries  show  that  at  the 
proper  time  steps  were  not  taken  to 
destroy  the  above-mentioned  docu- 
mrnt.s. 

For  the  head  of  the  Bureau: 

R.  BAfKlt. 

Adjutant:  Bukhoi.m. 

Note.— Obscnie    Ihe    Ihnughlfulnciis    with 
which  Bauer,  a  careful  man,  scl  down  ex- 


Document  Number  3 — Facsimile  of  Protocol 


acdij  U'liai  was  in  ike  document,  then-hy  pir- 
viilling  the  contents  to  rise  again  from  the 
ashes  to  which  perhaps  he  commiUed  the 
damaging  paper.  He  admits  that  the  dorii- 
7nents  found  were  truthful  originals.  Tin- 
world  will  thank  him  and  Germany  will  not. 
I  hare  the  original  letter.  11  hears  mar- 
ginal indorsements:   "Referred   to   the  Com- 


mission for  Combating  Counter  Revolution. 
Demanded  documents.  M .  Skripnilc";  and 
an  illegible  comment  by  N .  Clorbunoff,  Lenin's 
other  Government  secretary.  The  letter  is 
directed  to  Lenin.  Did  Skripnik  get  the 
documents?     I  do  not  know. 

The  letter  is  remarkable  otherwise,  for  the 
arrested  Capt.  Konshin  mentioned  is  a 
German  officer,  Lieut.  Otto,  n'ho  appears  clse- 
vihere  as  an  agent  in  the  German  doutile- 
crnssing  intrigue  in  the  Ukraine.  What  was 
behind  the  mystery  of  his  arrest?  What  was 
his  fate? 

Note  (Oct.  1,  1918).— T/ie  order  oj  the 
second  oj  March,  lt)I7,  a?  pointed  out  in 
the  note  to  Document  1,  has  had  publicity 
since  lent  winter,  and  nalurally  has  been 


sxibject  to  the  attack  oj  the  defenders  oj 
Lenin  and  Trotsky.  The  effort  at  con- 
jusion,  however,  is  oj  the  straw-man 
variety.  Ij  this  date  were  in  the  Western 
European  calendar,  it  would  precede  the 
March  Revolution.  So  the  dejcnders  oj 
Lenin  and.  Trotsky  have  argued  against 
the  letter  that  ii  mtist  have  been  written 
by  a  Counter-Revolutionary  Russian  who 
forgot  the  13  days'  difference  in  time 
between  the  Ritssian  and  the  European 
calendar.  Curiously,  ihe  persona  who 
make  this  contention  overlook  the  re- 
verse oj  such  an  argument — that  the  or- 
der was  written  by  a  German  leho  knew 
AND  rsED  the  Russian  calendar.  He 
ought  in  common  sense  to  have  used 
it,  as  the  letter  was  written  to  state  when 
orders  jor  money  jrom  Russians  would 
be  honored. 

The  Germans  who  maneuvered  in  Rus- 
sia were  letter  perject  in  Russian  jorm 
(See  Document  6,  "who  use  the  Riwisian 
language  perjeetly  and  who  are  acquainted 
with  Rtissian  conditions.") 

But  the  date,  March  2,  may  he  either 
German  or  Russian,  jor  any  important 
bearing  it  has  on  the  documents.  If 
German,  it  was  written  hejore  the  March 
Revolution,  but  in  preparation  jor  getting 
into  it  as  sooti  as  it  started.  Many  per- 
son.?, both  in  Russia  and  in  Germany, 
knew  oj  an  impending  effort  at  Revolu- 
tion. What  more  natural  on  Berlin's  part 
than  to  desire  to  get  its  "agents  -dis- 
lurbers"  there?  And  ij  they  were  at  that 
moment  widely  scattered  over  the  world, 
the  more  reason  to  begin  quickly  to  call 
them  in. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  3 


V.     K.     [Military     Commissariat]     D. 
323 — two    inclosures. 


No. 


PROTOCOL 
This  protocol,  drawn  up  by  us  on  the 
2d  of  November,  1917,  in  duplicate, 
declares  that  wo  have  taken  with  the 
consent  of  the  Coimcil  of  People's 
Commissars  from  the  papcns  of  the 
Department  of  C-ovmtcr  Espionage  of 
the  Petrograd  district  and  the  former 
Departnu-nt  of  Police  |Okhrana],  on 
instruction.s  of  the  representatives  of 
the  German  General  Staff  in  Petro- 
grad: 

1.  Circular  of  the  German  General 
Staff  No.  421,  dated  June  9,  1914, 
concerning  the  inuiiediale  mobiliza- 
tion of  all  industrial  enterprises  in 
Germany,  and 

2.  Circular  No.  9.1,  dated  November 
2S,  1914,  of  the  General  Staff  of  the 
High  Sea  Fleet ,  eoiiceriiing  the  sending 
into  enemy  countries  of  special  agents 
fur  the  destruct  ion  of  war  supplies  and 
materials. 

The  above  noted  circulars  were 
given  over  under  signed  receipt  into 
the  Inlelligeive  Bureau  of  the  German 
Staff  in  Petrograd. 

Authorized  by  the  Council  of  Peo- 
l)le's  Commissars. 

F.  Zalkind. 

E.  POLIVANOFP. 

(Illegible,  but  may  be  Mekhano.shin.) 

A.  ,I(lFI-E. 


The  Circulars  No.  421  and  No.  93 
mentioned  in  this  protocol  and  also 
one  coi>y  of  this  protocol  were  re- 
ceived on  the  :kl  of  November,  1917, 
by  the  Intelligence  Bureau  of  the 
(!(reatl  Glen<Tull  S[laff]  in  Petersburg. 

Adjutant:  Hbnrich, 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


GR.  GENERALSTHB. 

CEHTRHL  nBTHEILUNQ. 


/ 


Section   M. 


1*- 


M 


CIRC  XJ  Z,  A  R 

vcm  9  JuDi  i<ii4 
an  Bezirkscommendanten. 

Nacli  24  Sliindcn  >oin  l-'iiipraiig  des  vorliegenden  Circulars  alio  Besilzer    der  Industrie- 

uuternclinuingen  tcltgrApliiscIi  zn  benachriclitieen  die  Harkele   mil    mobilisatioas— gewerbli- 

clii-n  ;;riijjhischen  I^aislelliijigcn  und  Pluncn  zu   «roMcnen.   die   Im    Circular  dcr    Komiisioo 

von  r.r.if  \V.il.iir!.re  <ind  Captirl  voM  27  Jual  1837  angewiesen  sloj. 

jVj  421  Dm  MobilisilionsabtheltuDg. 
Document   No.   3 — Facsimile   of   June   9    Circular 


Funds  required  for  the  hiring  and 
bribing  of  jx-rsonH  neeessary  for  the 
designated  purpose  will  be  jjlaced  at 
your  disposal  at  your  refjuest. 

Intelligence  Bureau  of  the  General 
Staff  of  the  High  Sea  Fleet. 

KOENIQ. 

Note. — Both  the  circulars  hear  the  pen- 
ciled notation  thai  "one  copy  has  been  given 
to  the  German  Intelligence  Bureau"  at 
Petrograd.  The  Germau  intent  here  was  to 
remove  from  the  records  of  the  old  Russian 
Government  the  evidence,  first,  that  Germany 
was  beginning  in  June,  1014,  H^  active 
preparations  for  the  vxir  that  surprised  the 
world  in  August,  191 4,  and  second,  to  re- 
move the  evidence  of  its  responsibility  for 
incendiarism  and  explosions  in  the  United 
States,  a  country  mth  which  Germany  was 
then  at  peace.  The  restdt  was  to  give  new 
evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  charges.  The 
evident  mixture  of  bad  and  good  German 
in  these  circulars  seems  to  mc  evidence  of 
an  attempt  to  provide  an  alibi  again.H  the 
almost  inevitable  day  when  the  circulars 
would  be  revealed.    (Sec  also  page  30.) 

Have  original  of  protocol  and  have  the 
printed  circulars. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  4 


G.    G.-S.,    Intelligence    Bureau,    Section    R, 
No.  35. 

January  17,  1918. 
to    the    c0mm1ssari.\t  op  foreign 

Affairs: 

The  Bureau  has  Tvcclved  exact  in- 
formation that  the  leaders  of  th^'' 
socialist  party  now  ruling  in  Russia, 


Note.  —  The  circulars  inclosed  ar: 
printed  in  German ,  and  are  as  follows: 

Gr[eat]     General     Staff,     Central    Division, 
Section   M,   No.   — ,   Berlin. 

CiRCOLAR  OF  June  9, 1914,  to  District 

COMM.^NDERS: 

Within  24  hours  of  the  receipt  of  this 
circular  you  are  to  inform  all  industrial 
concerns  by  wire  that  the  documents 
with  industrial  mobilization  plans  and 
with  registration  forms  be  opened,  such 
as  are  referred  to  in  the  circular  of  the 
Commission  of  Count  Waldersee  and 
Caprivi,  of  June  27,  1887.  _ 

No.  421,  Mobilization  Divi.sion. 


Gtcneral]    S[taff]    of   the   High   Sea   Fleet, 
No.  93. 

Circular  of  November  28,  1914,  to 
Marine  Agencies  and  Naval 
Societies: 

You  are  ordered  to  mobilize  imme- 
diately all  destruction  agents  and 
ob.servers  in  those  commercial  and 
military  ports  where  munitions  are 
being  loaded  on  ships  going  to  England, 
France,  Canada,  the  United  States  of 
North  America,  and  Rassia,  where 
there  are  storehouses  of  such  mvuii- 
tions,  and  where  fighting  units  are  sta- 
tioned. It  is  necessary  to  hire  through 
third  parties  who  stand  in  no  relation 
to  the  official  representatives  of  Ger- 
many agents  for  arranging  explosions 
on  ships  bound  for  enemy  countries, 
and  for  arranging  delays,  embroilments, 
and  difficulties  during  the  loading,  dis- 
patching, and  unloading  of  ships.  For 
this  purpose  we  are  especially  recom- 
mending to  your  attention  loaders' 
gangs,  among  whom  there  are  many 
anarchLsts  and  escaped  criminals,  and 
that  you  get  in  touch  with  German  and 
neutral  shipping  offices  as  a  means  of 
observing  agents  of  enemy  countries 
who  are  receiving  and  shipping  the 
munitions. 


Q.  S.  der  BOCHSEEFLOTTL 


CIRCTJJjAR 

vom  28  November  1914 
den  Marineagenturen  und  den  Flottenvereinen, 

Es  wird  Ihnen  vorgesohribea  soforl  alle  Agentcn-Beobachter  und  Agenten— Vertilger 
iu' diesen  Handels  und  MiliUlr-Hafen  zu  mobilisierea,  wo  Schiffe  zur  LieferungderKriegsam- 
munition  nach  England,  Frankreich,  Kanada,  Vercinigle  Staaten  der  Nord-Ameriks  und 
Eussland  aufgeladen  stin  kOnnen,  »o  NieJerlageu  fur  solche  Ammiinition  sicb  YorllDdeiinnd 
auch  wo  Marine-Krtegseinheiten  stehen. 

Es  1st  durchaus  nothwendig  durch  dritte  in  keiiiet  Verbinjung  zu  offlcielen  Vertreteo 
beutschlands  stehende  Personen  Agenten  zu  erwcrbfii,  urn  Explosionen  aaf  in  feindlicho 
Liuider  sich  begebendcu  SchiiVen  zu  veransulten.  um  Verspatigungen,  Verwiernngen  eowie 
MissverstanJnisse  bei  Beladung,  Absendung  und  Ausladung  der  SchilTe  zu  bewirken.. 

Zu  diesen  Zweck  emptehlen  »ii-  Ihrer  Aufmerksamkeit  (janz  besonders  Ladungs-Verei- 
jiigungen  (Artelen),  unter  welchen  viele  Anarchislen  und  entlaufene  Verbrecher  sich  fin- 
ieu,  ferner  dcutsche  und  nculrale  Transporl-Comptoirs  und  »ach  Agenten feindlicher  Under 
bei  Emtan^g  und  Absendung  des  Kriegsmaterials. 

Die  dazu  nothigi:Q  Geldsummen  wcrden  laut  Ihrer  Aufforderung  2ur  Verfugttng  gfr 
>tellt.  um  das  unenlbehrliche  Personal  zut  Eneichung  des  angegebenen  Zweekes  lu  iaielEeil 
uu4  tu  bc-stechen. 

jisdtfictltea  Bureau  des  Geo.  Stabes  der  Hochseeflott:. 

Efienlg. 
Document  No.  3 — Facsimile  of  November  28  Circular 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


through  Messrs.  Fuerstenberg  and 
Radek,  are  in  correspondence  with 
Messrs.  Scheidemann  and  Par^nis  re- 
garding the  destruction  of  the  traces 
of  the  business  relations  of  the  party- 
wit  h  the  Imperial  Government.  We 
also  know  that  this  correspondence  was 
caused  by  the  demand  of  leading 
groups  of  German  socialists,  who  saw 
in  the  said  communications  a  danger 
to  the  caase  of  world  socialism.  By 
order  of  the  staff,  I  have  the  honor 
to  request  the  submitting  of  this  ques- 
tion to  special  discussion  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  representative  of  our  staff 
and  Mr.  von  Schoenemann. 

For  the  head  of  the  department: 
R.  BArER. 

Adjutant:  [Illegible.] 

Note. — The  world  penalty,  therefore,  was 
apparent  to  some  Germans.  Of  the  per- 
sonalities named  in  the  letter,  Sche-idemaiin, 
the  leader  of  the  German  Governmenl-sup' 
porting  wing  of  the  Socialist  party  is  the 
most  notable.  Once  before  he  has  been 
named  in  relation  to  the  "business  relations" 
of  the  Russian  Bolsheriki  with  the  Imperial 
Government,  writing  a  letter  from  Copen- 
hagen in  1917,  to  a  "Mr.  Olherg"  in  ivhich 
he  slated  that  150,000  kroners  had  been 
placed  at  Olberg's  disposal  at  Fuerstenberg' s 
office  through  the  N'ia  Bank.  {See  Appendix, 
later.)  Now  Fuerstenberg  by  this  time, 
Janiuiry,  in  Petrograd  at  Smolny,  is  trying 
to  help  Scheidemann  in  covering  vp  old 
trails.  Radek  is  a  clever  Polish-Austrian 
Jew  xcho  came  from  Switzerland  xcith  Lenin. 
He  and  Trotsky  between  them  staged  the 
public  play-acting  at  Brest-Litovsk.  Von 
Schoenemann  was  the  accredited  German 
representative  to  the  Bolshevik  foreign  office. 
He  is  nameil  later  i,n.  Documeul  No.  S. 
Parvus  ts  a  handler  of  German  propaganda 
money,  with  headquarters  at  Copenhagen, 
and  is  credited  with  being  tlie  directing  force 
behind  Joffe.  (For  Parvus,  see  "Neio 
Europe,"  January  SI,  191S,  pp.  94-96.) 

Have  phutograph  :/  this  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  5 


Gr[eat]     General     Staff,     Central     Division. 
Section    M,    No.    (blank),    Berlin. 

October  2.3,  1917. 

To     THE     GOVER.VMENT     OF     PeOPLE's 
COM.MISSAUS: 

In  accordance  with  the  agrcoment. 
wliich  took  place  in  Kron.stadt,  in  July 
of  the  present  year,  bet  woon  officials  of 
our  General  StafT  and  leaders  of  the 
l{.u.s.sian  revolutionary  army  and  do 
niocracy,  Me.s.srs.  Lenin,  Trotsky, 
Raskolnikov,  and  Dybinko,  the  Rus- 
sian Division  of  our  General  Staff  op<'r- 
ating  in  Finland  in  ordering  to  Petro- 
grad ofTicers  for  the  disposal  of  the 
IntelliKenco  Bureau  of  the  utafT.  At 
the  head  of  the  Petrograd  Bureau  will 
be  the  following  ofFictirs,  who  use  the 
Ra^sian  language  perfectly  and  who 
are  acquainted  \vith  Ras-sian  conditions: 
Maj.    I..ubert.s,    cipher    signature 

Agasfer. 
Maj.  von  Boelkc,   cipher  signa- 
ture Schott. 
Maj.  Bayermei.stcr,  cipher  signa- 
ture Ber. 
Lieut..   Hartwig,  cipher  .signatures 
Henrich . 
The    Intelligence    Bureau,    in     ac- 
cordance   with     the    agreement    with 
JkleRsr.'f.  Lenin,  Trotsky,  and  Zinovioff, 
will  have  the  surveillance  of  the  foreign 


embassies  and  military  missions  and  of 
the  counter  revolutionary  movement, 
and  also  will  perform  the  espionage 
and  counter  espionage  work  on  the  in- 
ternal fronts,  for  which  purpose  agents 
vrill  be  assigned  to  the  various  cities . 

Coincidently,  it  is  annomiced  that  at 
the  disposal  of  the  Government  of 
People's  Commissars  are  assigned  con- 
sultants to  the  Ministry  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  Mr.  von  Schoenemann,  and 
to  the  Ministrv  of  Finance,  Mr.  von 
ToU. 

Chief  of  the  Russian  Division,  Ger- 
man General  Staff:  O.  Rausch. 
Adjutant:  U.  Wolff. 

(And  below  on  the  same  letter:) 

To   THE    Commissariat    of   Foreign 
Affairs: 

The  officers  indicated  in  this  paper 
have  been  before  the  military  revolu- 
tionary committee  and  have  agreed  on 
conditions  with  Mui'avieff,  Boie,  and 
Danishevski  with  regard  to  their 
mutual  activities.  They  have  all  come 
under  the  direction  of  the  committee. 
The  consultants  wiU  appear  as  called 
for. 

Chairman  Military  Revolutionary 
Committee,  Council  of  Workers'  and 
Soldiers'  Deputies:  A.  Joffe, 

Secretary:  P.  Krushavitch. 

October  27,  1917. 

Note. — Here  is  the  working  compact.  If 
Rausch  was  then  in  Berlin  he  presumably 
came  immediately  afterwards  to  Petrograd. 
It  is  more  probable  that  the  letter  ivas  UYitten 
in  Finland  than  Berlin.  In  some  other 
letterheads  on  which  Berlin  is  printed  'the 
U'ord  is  run  through  with  a  pen.  Stationery 
was  hard  to  get  in  Petrograd.  Maj.  Luberls 
became  the  head  of  the  Intelligence  Bureau 
(Nachnchten  Bureau).  Kronstadt  loas  the 
midsummer  headquarters  of  Lenin.  Rask'il- 
niknff  will  be  referred  to  in  connection  with 
the  project  to  sell  the  Russian  fleet  to  Ger- 
many. Dybenko  was  the  commissar  of  the 
fleet,  the  naval  minister,  a.  driving  man  and 
keen  wittcd.  Zinovieff  is  the  president  of 
the  Petrograd  Soviet,  during  the  winter  tite 
most  poxverful  of  tlie  local  bodies  of  the  Rus- 
sian Soviets.  He  is  Jewish  and  well  edu- 
cated. Joffe,  in  the  letter  of  Bolshevik  ac- 
ceptance of  the  German  compact,  again  sta7ids 
forth  for  what  he  is,  the  spokcsmaii,  after 
Lenin,  in  all  matters  of  supreme  importance 
to  Germany. 

Have  photograph  of  the  joint  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  6 


Crlcatl     General     Start,     Central     Division, 
No.  813. 

November  19,  1917. 
To  the  C'ouncil  op  People's  Com- 
Mi.ssAn.s: 

This  is  to  advise  you  that  the  follow- 
ing persons  have  been  put  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Rassiaii  Government  as 
military  advi.sers:  Maj.  Erich,  Maj. 
Bode,  Maj.  Sa.ss,  Maj.  Zimiuernian, 
Maj.  Anders,  Lieut.  Haa.se,  Lieut. 
Klein,  Lieut.  Breitz. 

These  officers  will  choose  a  cadre 
of  the  most  Huitable  oflicrTs  from  the 
list  of  our  prisoners,  who  will  likewise 
be   at    the   disposal   of   the    Ru.ssian 


Government,  as  was  agreed  at  the 
conference  in  Stockholm  when  Lenin, 
Zinovieff,  and  others  were  traveling 
through  to  Russia. 

Head  of  the  Rus.siau  Section,  German 
General  Staff:  O.  Rausch. 

Adjutant:  U.  Wolff. 

Note. — Maj.  Anders  took  the  Russian 
name  Rubakov  and  Maj.  Erich  the  Rxissian 
name  Egorov.  Lenin  and  Zinovieff  passed 
through  Germany  and  Stockholm  together. 

Have  photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO. 


G.    G.-S.,    Intelligence    Bureau,    Section    R, 
No.  27. 

(Confidential) 

January  12,  191S. 

To     THE     Commissar     of     Foreign 
Affairs: 

By  the  order  of  the  local  department 
of  the  German  General  Staff,  the  In- 
teUigence  Department  has  reported 
the  names  atid  the  characteristics  of 
the  main  candidates  for  the  reelection 
of  the  Central  Executive  Committee. 
The  General  Staff  orders  us  to  insist  on 
the  election  of  the  following  persons: 
Trotsky,  Lenin,  Zinovieff,  Kameneff, 
Joffe,  f>verdlov,  Lunacharsky,  KoUon- 
tai,  Fabrizius,  Martov,  Steklov,  Gol- 
man,  J>unze,  Lander,  Milk,  Preobra- 
jen.ski,  SoUers,  Studer,  Golberg, 
Avanesov,  Volodarsky,  Raskolnikov, 
Stuchka,  Peters^  and  Neubut.  Please 
inform  the  president  of  the  council  of 
the  General  Staff's  wish . 

Head  of  the  Bureau:        Agasfer. 

Adjutant:  Henrich. 

Note. — The  indorsements  are:  "Copy 
handed  to  chairinan  Council  Workmen's  and 
Soldiers'  Deputies,  A'o.  936."  "Deliver  to 
Comrade  Zinovieff  and  to  secret  department. 

M . Ov (?) "  January  l~(Russiancalendar) 

fell  in  the  week  of  the  All-Russian  Soviet 
convention  in  Petrograd,  the  ivcek  after  the 
forcible  dissolution  of  the  Constituent  Asse7n- 
lily.  The  election  come  at  the  end  of  the 
week  and  was  a  perfunctory  re-election  of 
practically  the  whole  former  executive  com- 
mittee of  commissars.  Lacking  the  exact 
list,  I  7ievertheless  can  state  that  the  present 
executive  committee  was  drafted  from  this 
group.  The  name  there  surpri.'ting  to  me  is 
that  of  Martov,  the  head  of  a  supposedly 
separate  fcuiion. 

Martov  is  an  able  writer,  was  associated 
with  Trotsky  in  his  Paris  journali.'itic  venture, 
liut  was  supposed  to  have  split  with  him  in 
Russia.  The  evidence  that  he  is  still  agree- 
alile  to  Germany  is  pertinent.  Madame 
Kiilloulai,  the  only  woman  on  this  list,  ivas 
the  Commissar  of  Public  Welfare.  She  was 
sent  atiroad  for  foreign  irropaganda  in 
February,  but  did  not  get  beyond  Scandi7iavi<i 
and  later  returned  to  Russia.  Ka7ncneff, 
who  weid  out  of  Russia  with  Kollontai,  also 
sought  to  return,  but  7vas  a/rested  bi/  the 
Finnish  White  Guards  (not  the  Germans)  on 
the  Aland  Islands,  anil  his  release  7vas  the 
sidiject  of  negotiations.  He  is  Trotsky's 
liro!her-in-law.  Svcrdlov  was  te7nporary 
eh<iirnutn  of  the  AU-Russian  Soviet.  Lu- 
narharsky  is  Co7n7nissar  of  Education. 

Steklov  is  editor  of  the  official  paper 
"Livestia."  Volodarsky,  who  has  lived  in  the 
ihiited  States,  was  in  close  confidence  tviih 
Lenin.  lie  teas  killed  in  Moscom  the  Insl 
vcck  i/i  June,  .\gasfer,  who  delivered  the 
order  in  behalf  of  Rausch,  is  Maj.  Luberts. 

Have  photograph  of  letter. 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


CHAPTER  II. 
ROLE  OF  THE  REICHSBANK 

The  following  documents  show  in  de- 
tail how  the  German  Government  financed 
the  Russian  Bolshevik  revolution  through 
the  German  Imperial  Bank. 

They  show  what  rewards  the  German 
financial  and  industrial  interests  demanded 
in  return  for  the  German  support  of  the 
Bolsheviki.  And  they  show  how  the  Bol- 
shevik leaders  betrayed  their  own  fol- 
lowers and  abandoned  the  preaching  of 
their  social  revolution  wherever  the  Ger- 
mans ordered  that  it  should  be  abandoned. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  8 


Imperial    Bank    [Reichsbank],    No.   2. 

{Very  Secret) 

January  8,  1918. 
To  THE  People's  Commissar  of  For- 
eign Afi'Wirs: 

Notification  has  to-dav  been  received 
by  me  from  Stockholm  that  50,000,000 
roubles  of  gold  has  been  transferred  to 
be  put  at  the  disposal  of  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  People's  Commissars. 
This  credit  has  been  supplied  to  the 
Russian  Government  in  order  to  cover 
the  cost  of  the  keep  of  the  Red  Guards 
and  agitators  in  the  country.  The 
Imperial  Government  considers  it  ap- 
propriate to  remind  the  Council  of 
People's  Commissars  of  the  necessity 
of  increasing  their  propaganda  in  thi; 
country,  as  the  antagonistic  attitude  of 
the  south  of  Russia  and  Siberia  to  the 
existing  Government  in  Russia  is 
troubhng  the  German  Government. 
It  is  of  great  importance  to  send  ex- 
perienced men  everywhere  in  order  to 
set  up  a  uniform  government. 

Representative  of  the  Imperial  Bank: 

G .  VON  ScHANZ. 

Note. — Members  of  the  Red  Guard  tccre 
paid,  frorrfi  12  to  IG  roubles  a  day,  whereas 
soldiers  were  paid  hardly  that  number  of 
kopecks.  This  letter  shoios  where  the  money 
came  from..  The  Bolshenk  Government  also 
required  factory  owners  to  pay  regular  wages 
to  their  workers  lohile  the  latter  served  in  the 
Red  Guard.  The  notation  on  letter  indicates 
that  it  was  referred  to  Menshinski,  the 
financial  minister,  whose  expert  councillor 
was  the  German,  von  Toll.  Menshinski 
personally  conducted  the  wrecking  of  the 
Russian  banks,  a  maneuver  that  deprived  all 
opponents  of  Bolshemkism  of  their  financial 
jneans  of  warfare.  It  ivas  a  classic  job  of 
destruction,  done  in  the  name  of  reconstruc- 
tion. 

Have  photograph  cf  this  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  9 


Imperial   Bank,    No.   S,    Berlin. 
{Very  Secret) 

January  12,  1918. 
To  THE  Commissar  of  Foreign  Af- 
fairs: 

I  am  instructed  to  convey  the 
agreement  of  the  Imperial  Bank  to  the 
issue  out  of  the  credit  of  the  General 
Staff  of  5,000,000  roubles  for  the  dis- 
patch of  the  a-ssistant  naval  commissar, 
KudriasholT,  to.the  Far  East. 

On  arrival  at  Vladivostok  he  should 
visit  the  retired  officer  of  the  Russian 
Fleet,  Mr.  Panoff,  and  instruct  Butten- 


hoff  and  Staufachcr,  who  are  known  to 
I'anolT,  to  come  to  ace  him.  Both  the 
mentioned  agents  will  bring  with  them 
Messrs.  Etlward  Shindler,  William 
Kebcrlcin,  and  Paul  Diese  [or  Dczc]. 
With  these  persons  it  is  necessary  to 
think  out  a  plan  for  carrying  out  the 
Japanese  and  American  war  materials 
from  Vladivostok  to  the  west.  If  this 
is  not  possible  then  they  must  instruct- 
Diese  [or  Deze)  and  his  agents  to 
destroy  the  stores.  Sliindler  must 
acquaint  Kudriashoff  with  the  Chincsi; 
agents  at  Nikolsk.  These  persons 
should  receive  the  agreed  amounts  and 
should  bo  dispatched  to  China  to  carry 
on  an  agitation  against  Japan. 
Representative  of  the  Imperial  Bank: 

G.  VON  ScHANZ. 

Note. — If  this  plan  was  developed  to  a 
climaj:  it  was  not  by  Kudriashoff.  He  was 
killed  on  his  passage  through  Siberia  two  or 
three  weeks  later  arid  it  was  reported  that  a 
great  sum  of  money  was  taken  from  his  body 
by  his  murderers,  who  were  said  to  be  two 
Cossacks.  Most  of  the  German  agents 
named  in  this  letter  were  still  active  in  Siberia 
in  the  spring,  as  shown  by  Document  No.  29. 

Have  photograph  of  this  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  10 


Imperial   Bank,   No.    5. 

January  11,  1918. 

To  THE  Chairman  of  the  Council,  of 

People's  Commissars: 

My  Dear  Mr.  Chan-man:  The_  in- 
dustrial and  commercial  organizations 
in  tierraany  interested  in  trade  rela- 
tions with  Russia  have  addressed  them- 
selves to  me  in  a  letter,  including 
several  guiding  indications.  Permit 
me  to  bring  them  to  your  attention. 

1 .  The  conflict  of  the  Russian  revolu- 
tion with  the  Russian  capitalists  abso- 
lutely does  not  interest  Gei-man  manu- 
facturing ciroles,  in  so  far  as  the  ques- 
tion does  not  concern  industry  as  such. 
You  can  destroy  the  Russian  capitahsts 
as  far  as  you  please,  but  it  would  by  no 
means  be  possible  to  permit  the 
destruction  of  Russian  enterprises. 
Such  a  situation  would  produce  a  con- 
stant ferment  in  the  country,  sup- 
ported by  famine  of  materials  and,  in 
consequence  of  that,  of  products  also. 
The  English,  American,  and  French 
capitahsts  take  advantage  of  this  dis- 
order and  understand  how  to  establish 
here  corps  of  their  commercial  agents. 
It  is  necessary  to  remember  that 
German  industry  in  the  first  years 
after  the  general  peace  will  not  be  in  a 
position  to  satisfy  the  purchasing 
demand  of  the  Russian  market,  having 
broad  similar  parallel  tasks  in  the 
Near  East,  in  Persia,  in  China,  and  in 
Africa. 

2.  It  is  essential,  therefore,  to  con- 
duct a  canvass  and  gather  statistical 
information  with  regard  to  the  condi- 
tion of  industry,  and,  in  view  of  the 
absence  of  money  in  Russia,  to  ad- 
dress in  business  conversations  which- 
ever is  desired  of  the  groups  of  Ger- 
man commercial  banks. 

3.  Trade  with  Germany  may  be  in 
the  first  period  almost  exclusively 
exchange  for  wheat  and  for  any  re- 
niaming  products  to  receive  house- 
hold necessities.  Everything  which 
exceeds  the  limits  of  such  trade  should 
be  paid  for  in  advance  to  the  amoimt 
of  75  per  cent  of  the  market  value, 
with  the  payment  of  the  remaining 
quarter  in  a  six  months'   period.     In 


place  of  such  an  arrangement,  prob- 
ably, it  would  .sccin  to  be  possible  to 
permit,  privatel}',  the  taking  of  German 
dividend  shares  on  the  Russian  financial 
market,  or  solidly  guaranteed  indus- 
trial and  railroad  loans. 

In  view  of  the  indicated  interest 
of  German  manufacturers  and  mer- 
chants to  trade  relations  in  Russia, 
I  cordially  beg  you,  Mr.  Chairman, 
to  inform  me  of  the  views  of  the  Gov- 
ernment regarding  the  questions 
touched  upon,  and  to  receive  the  as- 
surances of  my  sincere  respect. 

Representative  of  the  Imperial  Bank 
and  Stock  Exchange  in  Berlin: 

G.  VON  Schantz. 

Note. — The  engaging  attitude  of  the 
German  manufacturers  toward  Russian 
capitalists  is  the  feature  of  this  letter, 
apart  from  the  cordial  and  evidently  un- 
derstanding expressions  of  the  '  repre- 
sentative of  the  German  Imperial  Bank 
to  that  opposed  enemy  of  the  capitalists 
of  all  nations,  Lenin.  The  letter  was 
sent  to  the  secret  department  by  Secre- 
tary Skripnih.  Perhaps  some  day  von 
Schanz  will  disclose  Lenin's  answer. 

Have  photograph  oj  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  11 


Imperial  Bank.   No.   123TS. 
[Printed  circular   in   Russian] 

RESOLUTION 
of  a  conference  of  representatives  of 
the  German  commercial  banks  cotir- 
vened  on  proposal  oj  the  German 
delegation  at  Petrograd  by  the  man/- 
agement  of  the  Imperial  Bank,  to  dis- 
cuss the  resolutions  oj  the  Rhine- 
Westphalian  Industrial  Syndicate  and 
Handelstag. 

Berlin,  December  28,  1917. 

1.  All  loans  are  canceled  the  bonds 
of  which  are  in  the  hands  of  German, 
Austrian,  Bulgarian,  and  Turkish 
holders,  but  payment  must  be  real- 
ized by  the  Russian  treasury  in  the 
course  of  a  12-months'  term  after  the 
conclusion  of  .separate  peace. 

2.  The  purchase  is  permitted  of  all 
Russian  securities  and  dividend- 
bearing  paper  by  the  representatives 
of  the  German  banks  at  the  rate  of 
the  day  on  the  open  market. 

3.  After  the  conclusion  of  separate 
peace,  on  the  expiration  of  90  days, 
there  are  reestablished  all  the  shares 
of  private  railway  companies,  metal- 
lurgical industries,  oil  companies,  and 
chemical  pharmaceutical  works. 

Note. — The  rating  of  such  papers 
will  be  made  by  the  German  and  Aus- 
trian stock  exchanges. 

4.  There  are  banished  and  for  five 
years  from  date  of  signing  peace  are 
not  to  be  allowed  English,  French, 
and  American  capitals  in  the  follow- 
ing industries:  Coal,  metallurgical, 
machine  building,  oil,  chemical,  and 
pharmaceutical. 

5.  In  the  question  of  development 
in  Russia  of  coal,  oil,  and  metallurgical 
branches  of  industrj'  there  is  to  be 
established  a  supreme  advison,'  organ 
consisting  of  10  Russian  specialists, 
10  from  the  German  industrial  or- 
ganizations and  the  German  and  Aus- 
trian banks. 

6.  The  Russian  Government  must 
not  interfere  in  the  region  of  ques- 
tions connected  with  the  transfer  to 
the  benefit  of  Germany  of  two  mining 
districts    in    Poland — Dombroski    and 


10 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


KACHRICHTEN-BUREAU. 
8ectioii,_;i^L . 

'25  SsBpaJia  I9I8  r- 


rocnoAsiHy  ripeflciiiaTejiis  CoBtra  HapoflHsxi  KOMHcca 


CekbeTHO.  lynow   the  jatr  oj   the  resolution  on  this, 

I         its  early  wniter  appearance. 

Have  besides  the  notated  photograph  a 
printed  copy  oj  this  circular. 


POBS- 


DOCUMENT  NO.  12 


i  ipoflanCi  Koj4i6fc^ous  r.Tpou- 

POWHO    lI8|iCTIITi    pyKQBOflH- 

PasBiflKir'npii  CTaBKi-KoMHCca.pOBX  *e8ep- 
KajiBuaHOBHia,  mtoCh  ohh  pafioiajiH  no-npea- 
«euy  B£  nojiHofi  HesaBHCHuocTH  a  Tafini  oti  0(f:$imia-nB- 
Haro  niraSa  CTasKit  h  TeHepajiBHaro  ffliafia  bi>  IlaTepCyp- 
rt  B  ocotfeHRo  rsH-  BoHqi-BpyesHia  e  KoHxps-PasBiflKH 
Cisepnaro  SpoHia,  chocacb  jih'ul  ct  HapoaniatB  Kohhc- 
capous  npan.  KpHJieHKO- 


vyr^ 


Facsimile   Document  Number   12 


OTflSjieHis  /il^^^tCLMy 


Olkishski — and  to  Austria  of  the  oil 
region  ia  Calicia.  The  transfer  of 
the  latter  will  be  only  in  the  form  of 
limitations  of  the  right  of  making 
claims,  land  allotments,  and  applica- 
tion of  capital  for  the  production  and 
refining  of  oil. 

7.  Germany  and  Austria  enjoy  tlie 
unlimited  privilege  of  sending  into 
Russia  mechanics  and  qualified  work- 
men. 

8.  Other  foreign  mechanics  and 
workmen  during  five  years  after  the 
conchl^ion  of  poar-e  between  Russia 
and  Germany  are  not  to  be  allowed  to 
enter  at  all. 

9.  The  statistical  department  of  pro- 
ducing and  manufacturing  industries 
with  the  corresponding  Government 
organ  must  be  controlled  by  German 
specialists. 

10.  Private  banks  in  Russia  arise 
only  with  the  consent  and  according 
to  the  plan  of  the  Union  of  German 
and  Austrian  Banks,  whereVjy  the 
rating  of  tlie  stocks  of  the  banks  on 
all  exchanges  of  the  Now  and  Old 
World  will  be  handled  by  the  group 
of  the  Deutsche  Bank. 

11.  At  the  port.s  of  Petrograd,  Arch- 
angel, Odessa,  Vladivostok,  and  Ba- 
tum  will  be  established,  under  the 
leadership  of  specialists  from  Ger- 
many, special  stati.stical  economic 
committees. 

As  regards  the  tariff,  railway  aii<l 
shipping  rate  policies  to  regulate  the 
Russo-German-Austrian  trade  rela- 
tions, this  part  of  the  economical 
treaty  will  be  discussed  by  the  spe- 
cial Tariff  Council  of  the  Handels- 
tag. 

Signed : 

Chairman:    von  Ghen.ver. 
Secretary :     Berbnbixet. 
XoTK. — The,  penned  indijrsemenl  on  the 
photographed  copy  oj  the  resolution  is: 


"Chairman  oj  the  Central  Executive  Com- 
mittee: Commissar  Menshinsky  requests 
that  thi.'i  resolution  should  be  taken  under 
adi-'iseme7it,  and  to  prepare  tlie  ground  in 
the  Council  oj  the  Workmen's  and  Sol- 
diers' Deputies,  in  case  the  Council  oj 
People's  Commissars  will  not  accept 
these  requests.  Secretary  D.  Khaskin." 
Menshinsky  is  Minister  oj  Finance. 
All  oj  these  terms,  wholly  punitive  to 
American,  English,  and  French  capital, 
could  lurk  in  the  secret  section  in  the 
present  German-Russian  treaty.    I  do  not 


G.  G.'S, 

NACHRICHTENBUREAU. 
BecllJn  ^... 

25  *9Bpajifl  I9I8  p. 


Gtreat]      Gteneral]      S[taff].      Intelligence 
Bureau,  Section  R,  No.   7S0. 

Feb.  25,   1918. 

(Secret) 

To  THE  Chairman  of  the  Council 
OF  People's  Commissars: 
After  conferring  with  the  People's 
Commissar  Trotsky,  I  have  the  honor 
to  ask  you  urgently  to  inform  the 
directors  of  the  Counter  Espionage  at 
Army  Headquarters  [Stafka],  Commis- 
sars Feierabend  and  Kalmanovicb, 
that  they  should  work  as  formerly  in 
complete  independence  and  without 
the  knowledge  of  the  official  staff  at 
Army  Headquarters  and  the  General 
Staff  in  Petersburg,  and  particularly 
Gen.  Bonch-Bruevich  and  the  secret 
service  of  the  northern  front,  com- 
municating only  with  the  People's 
Commissar  Lieut.  Krilenko. 
For  the  head  of  the  Bureau: 

R.  Bauer. 
Adjutant:  Bukholm. 

Note. — Across  the  letter  is  written: 
"Injorm  Mosholov.  N.  G."  (Gorbunojj's 
initials).  In  the  margin  is  written: 
''Passed  on  to  the  Commissar  oj  War.  M. 
Skripnik."  The  significance  oj  this  let- 
ter is  that^  it  is  to  Lenin;  that  the  two 
ehiej  secretaries  oj  himselj  and  the  coun- 
cil passed  it  on  jor  action;  and  that 
Trotsky  and.  Lenin  on  February  27  were 
continuing  to  hamper  the  Russian  com- 
mander at  a  vioment  ichen  the  German 
army  was  threatening  Petrograd.  Mo- 
tiholov  was  one  oj  the  commissars  on  the 
stajj  oj  Krilenko,  the  comnmsar  repre- 
senting the  Council  oj  Commissars  in  the 
command  oj  the  Riussian  military  jorces. 
His  achievements  as  a  disorganizer  were 
notable.  This  letter  indicates  that  he  had 
the  conjidence  oj  Germany. 

Have  original  letter. 

B.CeKpeTHO. 


r.  ITpeficiflaTeJiw  CoBira  HapoflHuxi,  KouHccapoBi. 


"^ 


To  jOHeceHlflMi  Hamefl  taflHol  nreHTypH,  Bi-OTpsjjaJCs, 
fltBcTByioiaHxi  npoTBBi  repuaHCKaA  BOflcKt  a  npoTHst  As- 
ct^jo-yKpatiHCKiiro  Kopnyca,  BaCmoflaeTcfl  nponaranfla  Ha- 
HloHajifcBaPo  BOBOTaHlK  h  tfopitfu  ci  HtimaaH  h  ar*  eoioe- 
HHKft*!H-7KpaHH^allH.  flponiy  cQotfmBTt,  sto  ppeAnpiBSTo 
npaBHTGJiMTBOire  BJifl  npe_KpaqeHl«  stoB  speflHoB  ariiTsni^#» 


IftyejiBiTHKi  OxfllneRla 


lAuoTaHTl 


''^^^«*^, 


/'K^^^?Uc£^ 


Facsimile  Document  Number  13 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


11 


G[reat]      GronoralJ      S[tafTl,      Inti-lligcnce 
BurAu,  Section  R,  No.  TiZ. 

February  2o,  1018. 
(Very  Secret) 
To  THE  Chairman  of  the  Council 
OF  People's   Commissars: 
According  to  reports  of  our  secret 
agency  in  the  detachments  operating 
against     the     German     troops     and 
against  the  Austrian  Ukrainian  corps, 
there   has  been  observed   propaganda 
for  a  national   rising   and   a  struggle 
with    the    Germans    and    their    alhes, 
the  Ukrainians.     I  ask  you  to  inform 
me  what  has  been  done  by  the  Gov- 
ernment  to   stop   this  harmful  agita- 
tion. 
For  the  head  of  the  Bureau: 

R.  Bauer. 
Adjutant:  Henbich. 

Note.- — Across  the  top  is  written:  "Ur- 
gent. To  the  Cojnmissars  of  War  and 
Special  Staff.  M.  Skripnik."  The  last 
sentence  is  underscored,  and  in  the  inargin 
appears  a  question  mark,  initialed  "L.  T." 
The  first  is  Lenin's  order  through  the  sec- 
retary, and  the  second  may  possibly  be 
taken  as  Trotsky's  opposition  to  any  ac- 
tion. The  loss  of  the  Ukraine  by  counter 
German  intrigue  was  a  sore  point  in  pres- 
tige with  him.  ■  But  his  essential  obedience 
to  Germany  was  not  lessened. 
Have  original  letter. 


G.-S., 


Intelligence      Bureau,      Section 
R.    No.   278/611. 


To     THE     People's 
Foreign  Affairs: 


CoMMiss.w     of 


February  7,  1918. 

According  to  information  of  the 
Intelligence  Bin-eau  it  has  been  ascer- 
tained that  the  promise  given  per- 
sonally by  you,  Mr.  Commissar,  in 
Brest-Litovsk,  not  to  circulate  so- 
cialistic agitational  literature  among 
the  German  troops  is  not  being  ful- 
filled. I  ask  you  to  inform  me  what 
steps  will  be  taker  in  this  matter. 

For  the  head  of  the  Bureau: 

R.  Bauer. 

Adjutant:  Henrich. 

Note. — Brusque  words  to  the  foreign 
minister  of  the  Soviet  Government  of 
Workmen,  Soldiers,  and  Sailors  of  the 
Russian  Republic,  delivered  not  by  an 
equal  in  official  rank,  but  by  the  deputy 
of  a  German  major  at  the  head  of  an  in- 
telligence department  of  the  German 
Government.  Did  Trotsky  resent  or  deny 
the  imputation?  Instead  he  wrote  with 
his  own  hand  in  the  margin:  "I  ask  to 
discuss  it.  L.  T."  Thus  he  admits  that 
he  did  give  the  promise  at  Brest-Litovsk. 
The  question  raised  concerns  only  the 
measure  of  obedience  to  be  required. 

Have  original  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  15 


Counter   Espionage  at  Army  Headquarters 
[Stavlta],  No.  311,  special  section. 

To  the  Chairman   of  the   Council 

op  People's   Commissars: 

January  29,  1918. 

The  Counter  Espionage  at  the 
Army  Headquarters  advices  that  at 
the  front  is  being  spread  by  unknown 
agitators  tlie  following  counter  revo- 
lutionary  literature : 


1.  The  text  of  circulars  of  various 
Gorman  Government  institutions  with 
proofs  of  the  connection  of  the  Ger- 
man Government  with  the  Bolshevik 
workers  before  the  passing  of  the  Gov- 
ernment into  their  hands.  The.se 
leaflets  have  reached  also  the  German 
commanders. 

The  Supreme  Commander  has  re- 
ceived a  demand  from  Gen.  Hoffman 
to  stop  this  dangerous  agitation  by  all 
means  possible. 

2.  A  stenographic  report  of  the  con- 
versation of  Gen.  Hoffman  with  Com- 
rade   Trotsky,    whereby    it    was    sup- 


ovsk.  The  news  of  it  did,  not  reach  even 
Pctrograd  until  the  next  day.  Yet  on  that 
day  printed  circulars  were  being  dis- 
tributed at  the  front  .stating  that  Trotsky 
had  agreed  to  do  the  very  thing  he  did 
do,  and  giving  an  augury  of  events  that 
did  lake  place  a  week  later  when  Ger- 
many  did  begin  its  advance  and  when  the 
Bolsheviks  did  fulfill  all  demands.  The 
fact  is  that  simple  truth  was  being  'told. 
Nor  is  the  means  by  which  it  was  secured 
at  all  obscure.  A  few  daring  and  skillful 
Russians  had  found  a  ?neans  to  get  infor- 
mation from  Brest-Litovsk. 

The    circulars   referred    to    in   the   first 

(.0-    c//fc2..^. 


NACHRICHTEN-BUREAU.  TocnonnRy   Hapo;iH0ny   HOMHOcaoy   no   rHOorpaR 

HUMt    JiTlJiaMt. 

Section    'l, 


7  .Sespajis   1913  r. 


.Xf,: 


r 


1T0  ;iaiiHoe  BaMK  ;iimHO.    rocnofliiHi,   KoMuccapi, 
B7.  BpecTi-JlHTORCK^   o6t,riRHie   HO   pacnpopTpft- 
HflTb     B7>  repMaHCKnx7>   ToKcxax-b  coiiiajiHOTima- 
CKOS   arHTauionHoB  jinTepaTypu  He    HcncnHreTCH. 
Hpomy   c6o6nnTb,    ;<aKlH  6jAyTi>  no   STOiiy-noBOfly 


'^Hayn.ThHHK's   0T;\*ji9;ii 


Facsimile  Document  Number  14 


posedly  proposed  to  the  latter  to  make 
peace  on  conditions  of  considerable 
concessions  on  the  part  of  the  Cen- 
tral Empires,  but  on  the  obligation 
of  the  Russian  delegation  to  stop  the 
socialization  of  the  life  of  the  state. 
Comrade  Trotsky  supposedly  offered 
the  termination  of  war  without  peace 
and  the  demobilization  of  our  army. 
When  Gen.  Hoffman  announced  that 
the  Germans  would  continue  the  ad- 
^•ance,  Trotsky  supposedly  replied: 
'"Tiien  under  the  pressure  of  force  we 
shall  be  forced  to  make  peace  and  ful- 
fill all  demands." 

This  document  has  created  indigna- 
tion among  the  troops.  Against  the 
Council  of  People's  Commissars  are 
heard  cruel  accusations. 

Commissar:  S.  Kalmanovich. 

Note. — This  letter  is  a  warning  of  the 
slow  ri-iing  but  coming  storm  that  will 
sweep  these  boldest  pirates  of  history 
from  the  country  they  have  temporarily 
stolen.  To  get  a  real  understanding  of 
the  meaning  of  the  second,  and  important, 
section  of  the  letter,  it  must  be  pointed 
out  that  until  February  1,  the  Russian 
calendar  was  13  days  behind  the  Western 
European  calendar.  The  real  date  of  this 
Utter,  therefore,  is  February  10.  This  is 
the  date  Trotsktj's  "No  peace;  no  war' 
pronouncement    was    made    at    Bresl-Lit- 


paragraph  are  of  course  those  already 
familiar  to  Washington  from  February 
dispatches. 

The  following  naive  comment  adds  to 
the  attractiveness  of  the  letter:  "The 
Committee  for  Combating  the  Counter 
Revolution  stales  that  these  circulars  were 
sent  from  the  Don,  and  the  stenographic 
report  was  seized  in  transmission  from 
Kieff.  Its  origin  is  undoubtedly  Austrian 
or  from  the  Rada. — M.  Skripnik." 

Have  photograph  of  letter. 


CHAPTER  HI. 

THE  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  PLOT 

AGAINST  THE  ALLIES 

The  following  documents,  with  Mr. 
Sisson's  interpretati\-e  notes,  expose  the 
German-Bolshevik  plot  against  the  Allies. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  16 


Counter  Espionage  at  Army  Headquarters, 
No.   215. 

January  21,  1918. 

To  the  Commiss.«!I,\t  of  Foreign  Af- 
fairs : 

We   hereby   advise  you   of  the   ar- 
rival in  Mogilev  of  the  following  Ger- 


12 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


man  officers,  who  are  being  ordered  to 
England.  France,  and  America : 

Zanwald,  von  Weine,  Pabst,  Mayer, 
Gruenwaldt,  and  Baron  Schilling. 
They  have  been  granted  passports, 
sent  here  by  Commissar  Trotsky. 

Von  Weine,  with  a  Danish  pass- 
port in  the  name  of  Hansen,  a  mer- 
chant of  Copenhagen,  is  to  proceed 
to  England. 

Baron  Schilling  is  ordered  to  the 
United  States  of  America  with  a  Nor- 
wegian passport  in  the  name  of  Dr. 
Joseph  Brun. 

Gruenwaldt  has  instructions  to  pro- 
ceed to  France  with  a  Russian  pass- 
port in  the  name  of  the  Lett,  Ivan 
Kalnin. 

The  remaining  persons  are  to  make 
a  journey  through  Finland  and  Swe- 
den, supplied  with  papers  from  the 
German  staff,  in  order  to  follow  up 
the  counter  revolutionary  work  of 
countries  allied  to  us. 

Chief  of  Counter  Espionage: 

Feierabend. 

Commissar:  Vuznetorff. 

Note. — A  young  German  who  said  he 
was  a  deserting  officer  and  that  his  name 
was  Mayer,  sought  the  aid  oj  the  Embassy, 
the  military  mission,  and  myselj  in  get- 
tiny  to  America.  He  was  a  good-looking 
young  Prussian,  had  lived  in  New  York, 
fpoke  English  with  very  little  accent,  and 
dhimed  to  have  been  converted  to  the 
h-esident's  views  on  peace  requisites.  He 
■laid  he  had  walked  across  the  lines  as  a 
deserter  because  he  could  stand  no  more 
of  German  war,  and  that  he  wanted  to  go 
'n  the  United  States  to  talk  and  write 
against  Germany.  I  was  not  receptive. 
He  said  he  was  a  lieutenant.  There  is  no 
record  at  our  military  control  office  in 
Christiania  oj  a  passport  to  Dr.  Joseph 
Brun. 

Have  photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  17 


Commissar     for     Combating     the     Counter 

Revolution   and   Pogroms.   No.  32. 

Petrograd. 

January  5,  1918. 

To  THE   People's   CoMMissAnwT   for 

Foreign  Affairs: 

The  plenipotentiary  Commissar  for 
Combating  the  Counter.  Revolution, 
Comrade  Antonoff,  requests  the  com- 
missariat for  foreign  affairs  to  issue 
passports  for  going  to  Denmark  to 
the  following  conirade.s.  who  are  go- 
ing to  the  allied  countries  to  conduct 
peace  propaganda: 

To  England  are  going:  Comrades 
Adolf  Pavlovich  Ribba,  Ilia  Juliovich 
Uritski,  Vladi.slav  Antonovich  Dash- 
kevich. 

To  France:  Rimrna  Lvovna  Or- 
lova,  Vladimir  Konatantinovich 
Schneur. 

To  America:  l.'^ai  Bori.iovich  Kahn, 
Mark  Vla.-»ievich  Orit-fker,  Sofia  Ar- 
lurovna  Mack. 

All  the  named  conirude.s  will  visit 
at  Copenhagen  the  premi.ses  of  thf 
.Htaff.  where  they  will  receive  neutral 
pa.-«ports  for  the  trip  to  the  named 
countries.  At  the  rlisposal  of  the  dis- 
patched will  be  plii<c<!  the  necessary 
means  for  combatinu  in  the  picss  with 
the  iriiperiiilists  of  Kn^rland,  France, 
and  the  United  State.-i.  Their  confi- 
dential addrcwes  will  be  transmitted 
to   you   later   on    the   arrival    of   the 


named    comrades    at    the    places    of 
their  destination. 

Authorized    commissars : 

A.  Shilinski. 

F.    ZuBFJtT. 

Note. — Trotsky  indorsed  this  note:  "To 
be  urgently  executed.    L.  T." 

The  plan  oj  peace  propaganda  campaign 
in  the  allied  countries  is  plainly  outlined. 
These  Bolshevik-German  agents  will 
preach  international  Bolshevism  and  will 
charge  the  countries  at  war  with  Germany 
with  the  very  imperialistic  offenses  oj 
which  Germany  is  guilty.  This  also  was 
the  method  used  in  Russia  by  the  Bolshe- 
vik-German press  in  attacking  the  United 
States,  England,  and  France.  In  the  for- 
mula of  the  propaganda,  imperialism  re- 
lates not  only  to  territory  but  to  business 
enterprise.  The  agents  listed  above  likely 
sought  entrance  under  different  7iames. 
They  and  the  centers  from  which  they 
work  should  be  recognized,  however,  by 
their  words  and  their  works.  The  com- 
missars who  sign  are  members  of  the  com- 
mission jor  Combating  the  Counter  Revo- 
lution. 

Have  photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  18 


G[reat]     General     Staff.     Central     Division, 
Section  M,   No.   961. 

December  20,   1917. 
to    the    commiss.wiat    of    foreign 
Affairs  : 

According  to  the  negotiations  be- 
tween the  Russian  and  German  peace 
delegations  at  Brest-Litovsk,  the  Rus- 
sian Division  of  the  German  Gen- 
eral Staff  have  the  honor  to  request 
the  hastening  of  the  departure  of  agi- 
tators to  the  camps  of  Russian  pris- 
oners of  war  in  Germany,  for  the  re- 
cruiting of  volunteers  who  will  be  .sent 
to  the  English  and  French  troops  for 
the  purpo.se  of  observation  and  peace 
propaganda. 

Simultaneously,  the  staff  requests 
tlif  following  .sailors  to  be  sent  to 
Germany:  Shishko.  Kirshu,  Matviev, 
and  Dratchuk.  They  will  receive 
special  instructions  when  traveling 
through  Brest-Litovsk. 

Chief  of  the  Ru.ssian  Division,  Ger- 
man General  Staff:  O.  Rausch. 
Adjutant:                      U.  Wolff. 
Note. — This  request  was  rejerrcd  to  the 
Commissariats  on  Military  and  Naval  Aj- 
jairs. 

A  marginal  question  asked  by  E.  P. 
(probably  Polivanoff):  "f/s]  Dratchuk  at 
Black  Sea'/"  He  was  al  Sevastopol  and 
may  not  have  been  sent.  The  others 
went,  visited  the  camps  jor  war  prisoners 
in  Germany,  and  then  returned  to  Russia. 
Shishko  in  February  was  Comniis.far  <ij 
the  Naval  College  in  Petrograd. 
Have  photograph  oj  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  19 


Counter  Espionage  at  Army  Headquartem, 
No.  — . 

January  16,  1918. 
To  THE   Council  of   People's  Com- 
missars: 

I  Iierebv  bring  to  the  notice  of 
the  Council  of  People's  Comnii.ssarics 
that  through  our  front,  on  the  per- 
.-^onal  permission  of  the  Supreme 
Commander,  have  pa.s.sed  100  Ger- 
man odicers,  2.50  non-commissioned 
oflicers,  who  proceeded  to  our  inter- 
nal    fronts;     part     of     the     German 


officers  have  gone  to  the  front  in 
the  Don  region,  part  to  the  front 
against  Dutoff,  and  part  to  Eastern 
Siberia  and  the  Trans-Baikal  for 
the  surveillance,  and  if  it  shall  be 
possible,  to  oppose  the  Japanese  oc- 
cupationary  detachment  and  the 
counter  revolutionary  Trans-Baikal 
Cossack  officers. 
Counter  Espionage  Official: 

P.  Arkhipov. 
Note. — An  odd  comment  gives  interest 

to  this  letter.    H  is  this:  "An  accusation 

or  a  silly   accusal   jor  personal    benefit? 

Communicate     [<o]     Comrade    Krdenko,'' 

signed  "N.  G." 
Have  photograph  oj  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  20 


Counter  Espionage  at  Army  Headquarters, 
No.  52. 

Jan.  8,  1918. 
To  the   Council  of   People's  Com- 

MISS.\RS  : 

The  Supreme  Commander  Krilenko 
has  recei%'ed  an  offer  from  the  Supreme 
Commander  of  the  German  army  to 
send  to  the  disposal  of  the  German 
staff  ten  reliable  officers  of  the  revo- 
lutionary army.  The  said  persons 
must  arrive  at  Warsaw,  -where  they 
will  receive  their  further  instructions. 
The  aim  of  the  trip  is  to  visit  the 
camps  of  our  prisoners  of  war  on  the 
propaganda  of  peace  ideas.  The  staff 
points  out  the  desirability  of  sending 
Dz'evaltovsky,  Simaj^hko,  Saharoff, 
and  Volodarsky. 

For  the  Chief  of  the  Counter 
Espionage:  S.    Kalmanovrh. 

For  the  Commissar:  Alexjeff. 
Note. — Dzevaltovsky  was  an  officer  oj 
the  Lije  Guards  Grenadier  Regiment,  and 
on  agitator  who  aroused  the  soldiers  at 
the  time  oj  the  ill-jated  June  advance. 
Volodarsky  has  been  rejerred  to  pre- 
I'iously.  He  was  assassinated  in  late  June 
at  Moscow.  Kalnianovich  was  a  Com- 
missar on  the  staff  oj  Krilenko,  the  talk- 
ing man  who  was  assigned  to  disorganize 
the  army.  In  actual  army  rank  Krilenko 
was  a  sublieutenant. 

Have  pholoi/raph  oj  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  21 


C.r.    General    Staff,    Central    Division,    Sec- 
tion M,  No.  7B0. 

Berlin,  November  1,  1917. 

To  THE   Council  of   People's   Com- 
missars: 

In  accordance  with  an  inquiry  from 
the  German  General  Headquarters.  I 
have  the  honor  to  request  you  to  in- 
form me  at  the  earliest  possible  ino- 
incnl  the  exact  quantity  of  amrauni- 
tidii  at  the  following  places;  Petro- 
nr.id.  Aichangel,  Kazan,  Tiflis. 

It,  is  necessary  also  to  state  the 
<|Uanlity  and  storage  plac'o  of  the 
supjilies  which  have  been  received 
from  .\Micricu,  ICiigland,  and  France. 
.■iiid  also  the  units  which  are  keeping 
t^uard  over  the  military  stores. 
Head  of  Division:  O.  Rausch. 
Adjutant :  U.  Wolff. 

■^riTE.—This  is  a  request  made  upon  a 
rnuntry  which  America.  Englnnd,  and 
France  still  regarded  nl  that  date  ns  an 
ally. 

Have  photograph  oj  letter. 


I  he    UllKMA.iN-tJUL5>Htl  VIK    CUiN  Sr  IK  A.1^  I 


U 


DOCUMENT  NO.  22 


G[eneral]    S[tafr]    of   the   High   Sea    Fleet, 
No.  79. 

Jan.  10,   1918. 
(Very  Secret) 
To  THE  Council  ov  People's   Com- 

Mi.ss.ws: 

Thn  Pptersburg  representative  of 
the  Supreme  Sea  Command  has  re- 
ceived by  \virele.«s  from  Kiel  orders 
to  propose  to  the  Council  of  People's 
Commissars  to  place  at  the  disposal 
of  our  agents  at  Vladivostok — But- 
tenhof,  Staufacher,  and  Franz  Wal- 
den — several  steamships.  On  these 
ships  must  be  loaded  the  goods  indi- 
cated b\-  fiin-  named  agents  and  also 

NACHRICHTEN-BUREAU. 

Stction    ^ 


rocnoBHHy 
HUM*  Jll^.nei.M'i 


33  «9BpaJi/i  19 18  I*. 


ted  to-day  to  me  by  radio  A,  I  apply 
to  the  Russian  Government  with  a 
proposal  to  take  measures  to  deliver 
to  the  Pacific  by  railway  three  of  our 
submarines,  disa.ssemblcd.  On  the 
conclusion  of  peace  negotiations  and 
the  conclusion  of  peace  between  Ru.s- 
sia  and  Germany  this  transporting 
must  be  begun  immediately,  whereby 
on  the  conclusion  of  the  war  the 
transpoi'ted  vessels  will  remain  at  tlu' 
disposal   of  the  Russian  Government . 

Capt.  Lieut.:  RuD.  Miller. 

Note. — The  letter  j.s  indorsed:  "Report- 
ed. Seeretary  Skripuik."  The  transportin,/, 
aecordiiifi  to  the  e.ut<<iorl.eal  demand,  ya.i 
tn  begin  immediately  after  peace  wii?: 
signed.  These  are  the  only  two  eom- 
viunicalions  oj  Capt.  Miller  that  app< ar. 
Have  photograph  oj  letter. 

JiBHHO  , 


HfiponROHy  KoMHCcapy  no  V.HOcipaH- 


TJlSBeCT 

y  ofmeHi 


CorflacHO  jtR<iHux«  nsperoBoposs  uokxi     qt, 
r.npeflc*.fleTeji8u»  COB*tft  HaponHuxi  KoMncoapoBi, 
Chjio  p^meBO   aanopmaTB  OTi^ant   KTa;ii>HHCKaPO  no- 
co.n5>CTBa   Ksi  neTepflypra   h,    no  BoauosHOCTH.npo- 
JisBecTH  oCiiCKi  nooo.nfiCKRro   6araaa.06*   btomi 
ji  ciHTaw  flonroMi  k8b*.cthtb' BRc-i. 


OTR%neHi„(^%^jUu>{ 


AAl>HTaHT» 


Facsimile  Document  Number  26 


persons  indicated  by  them,  and  be 
sent  as  directed  to  ports  of  the  United 
States,  Japan,  and  British  colonies  in 
Eastern  Asia.  In  case  of  absence  of 
free  tonnage  in  Pacific  ports,  it  is  nec- 
essar.v  to  ch,arter  ships  sailing  under  a 
foreign  flag.  The  object  of  sending  the 
ships  is  to  cany  to  enemy  countries 
agents-agitators,  and  agents-destruc- 
tors. .\11  the  expenses  and  risk  the 
Petrograd  agency  of  the  Supreme 
Naval  Command  takes  for  account 
of  the  naval  operations  fimd. 

Capt.  Lieut.  Rudolph  Miller. 
Note. — The  hidorsement  oj  Lenin's  sec- 
retary Skripnik  is:  "Reported."  The  ac- 
tive Vladivostok  agents  have  been  rejerred 
to  previously.  The  threat  oj  the  arrival 
oj  German  agents  through  Pacijic  ports  is 
apparent. 

Have  photograph  oj  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  23 


G[eneral]    S[tatt]    of   the   High   Sea    Fleet, 
No.  85. 

Jan.   14,   191S. 
(Very  Secret) 
To   the   Council   of   People's    Com- 
missars; 

According  to  instructions  of  the  Ger- 
man  High   Sea   Command,  transmit- 


DOCUMENT  NO.  24 


Commissar     for     Combating     the     Counter 
Revolution  and  Progroms,  No.  445/63. 

Petrograd,  Jan.  21,  1918. 

To  THE   COMMISS.\R  OF   WaR,   SklIAN- 

sky: 

Our  agency  on  the  Furhstatskaya 
informs  us  that  two  people  not  seen 
before  ha\e  been  noticed  to  visit  the 
American  Embassy  three  times. 

Maj.  Luberts  begs  to  point  out  to 
Commissioner  Podvoisky  the  neces- 
sity of  keeping  a  watch  over  the 
movements  of  these  two  persons.  I 
ask  your  instructions. 

Commissar:  A.    Kozmin. 

Note. — Maj.  Liiberts  believed  in  identi- 
fying visitors  to  the  American  Embassy. 
Podvoisky  was  the  Minister  oj  War. 
Have  photograph  oj  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  25 


G.    G.-S.,    Intelligence    Bureau,    Section    R. 
No.    16S. 

Dec.   17,   1917. 
(Very  Secret) 
To  THE  Commissar  on  Foreign   Af- 
fairs : 
At  the  request  of  the  Commission 


on  Combating  the  Counter  Revolution 
of  December  17,  the  Intelligence  Bvi- 
reau  has  the  honor  to  forward  a  ILsfc 
of  men  watching  the  missions  of  the 
countries  allied  to  Russia: 

The  British  Embassy  is  watched  by 
German  scouts  Luze,  Telman,  Possel, 
Franz,  and  Gezel;  Russian  agents 
Ovisannikov,  Gluschenko,  and  Balia- 
sin. 

The  French  Embas.sy  is  watched  by 
German  scouts  Silvester,  Butz,  Fol- 
hagen;  Russian  agents  Bala-shev, 
Turin,  Gavrilov,  Sadavnokov,  and 
Shilo. 

The  U.  S.  A.  Embassy  is  watched 
by  German  scouts  Strom,  Buchholtz, 
Fasnacht,  Todner;  Russian  agents 
Spitzberg,  Sokolnizky,  Turasov,  and 
Vavilov. 

The  Roumanian  mission  is  watched 
by  German  scouts  Suttner,  Baider, 
Wolf;  Russian  agents  Kuhl,  Nikitin, 
Zolotov,  and  Arkipov. 

The  Italian  Emba.ssy  is  watched 
by  Austrian  scouts  Kuhlder.  von  Geze, 
Coin,  and  BurmeLster;  Russian  agents 
Salov,  Alekseievsky,  and  Kuzmin. 

These    agents    must    fulfill    all    in- 
structions    of     the     Commission     for 
Combating   the    Counter   Revolution, 
Sabotage,  Looting,  etc. 
Head  of  Bureau :  Agasfer. 

Adjutant;  E.  Rantz. 

Note, — The  German  Maj.  Luberts 
(Agasjer,  see  Document  A'o,  6),  therejore 
was  the  keeper  oj  Ambas.-tadorial  hostages 
nj  the  allied  countries  in  Russia  through- 
out the  winter.  The  names  listed  above 
leere  unidentifiable  in  the  establishments 
oj  at  least  the  Brili.^h  and  the  American 
Embassies.  All  may  have  been  outside 
^catchers.  The  mcthwl  oj  outside  sur- 
veillance is  shown  in  Document  No.  27. 
Have  photograph  oj  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  26 


G.    G.-S.,    Intelligence    Bureau,    Section    R, 
No.  715. 

(Perso?ial) 

Feb.  23,  1918. 
To  the  Commissar  of  Foreign   Af- 
fairs: 

According  to  my  personal  conversa- 
tion with  the  chairman  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  People's  Commi.'sars,  it  has 
been  decided  to  delay  the  departure 
of  the  Italian  Embassy  from  Peters- 
burg and,  as  far  as  po.ssible,  to  search 
the  Emba.ssy  baggage.  Of  this  de- 
cision I  count  it  my  duty  to  inform 
you. 

For  the  head  of  the  Bureau: 

R.  Bauer. 
Adjutant :  Henrich. 

Note. — Across  the  top  oj  letter  is  writ- 
ten by  Trotsky.  "Instruct,"  and  signed 
u'ith  the  i7iitiats,  L.  T.  H  is  here  set 
jorth  laconically  that  a  German  officer  oj 
the  General  Stafj  and  Lenin  in  conjerence 
ordered  the  search  oj  the  baggage  oj  the 
ambassador  oj  a  country  jriendly  to  Rus- 
sia and  at  war  with  Germany;  and  that 
Trotsky  gave  the  insti^ctions  jor  carry- 
ing out  the  order.  A  clerk's  note  at  the 
bottom  is  additionally  specific:  "To  be 
{/iven  to  Blagonravofj ."  The  last  named 
was  the  Cotnmissar  oj  Martial  Law  in 
Petrograd.  The  Halian  Embassy  train 
teas  delayed  for  more  than  24  hours  when 
it  sought  to  depart,  some  days  later. 
Petroff,  assistant  foreign  minister,  told 
me  on  March  2  with  a  great  show  of  in- 
dignation, that  "The  halians  had  given 
a  diplomatic  passport  to  the  embassy 
cook."    So,  he  said,  it  was  right  to  search 


14 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


T^ACHRICKTEN-BUREAU. 
Section — O. . 

tl^ipTa  I9I6  rona 


B.CeKpetKO. 
BiKOMPcriio  no  ''opbi*  fh  KOHTpt-pesojiwuieU 


1  W  i  '■'■ 


JjJiZl  0>iur;<^ 


HarTOHJiiiMl.  rooSn^ae* TH ,  mto  Ha(im)neHieMi>  h 
ET.  rji/waS  HeoSxoanMOCTH  HananeHieMt  Ha  ;inoH- 
cKiixi,  auapaKaHCKHXt  h  pyccKHXi  o(})nuepoB-b,KO- 
MaHi7i.iuHXi>  OKK/nauiOHHaii'b  KopnycoMT)  btj  Boctoh- 
Ho8  CnS«pii,  saBSjiywTt  HaiuH  areHTti  nray^axept, 
KpHrepi,   THse,  BaJibHeRHi,   ByTTeHrcnirE7~;;;atTaHi= 
H  fKpHOaHOBvmi,   KT.  KOHMT>  H  HaaJies-HTT)  oCpaiiaTb- 
CH  KaKt  KOMHccapy  KoSosesy.   Tarn,  h  KOMannHpo- 
BaHHUMt  KOMMCcien  jiHuawt.  Aapeca  ar.eHTOBij  yKa- 
aaHu  Bt  cnzcKt  f?  3. 


HayantKHKi 


A-JllOTSHTt 


O^^^***"^^ 


*-^^!(*AMp\  -  ^^)  iXAH^u, 


^  y^uKMj^^Ms 


lished  in  the  Marble  Palace — Lieut. 
Beklier  and  a  member  of  the  central 
executive  committee  of  the  Council  of 
Workmen's  and  Soldiers'  Deputies, 
Frunze. 

On  the  French  Embassy,  on  the 
French  Quay,  house  No.  8,  Comrade 
Peters,  member  of  the  central  execu- 
tive committee  of  the  council  of 
Workmen's  and  Soldiers'  Deputies, 
supplementary. 

On  the  North  American  Embassy 
observation  has  been  established  at 
Furhstatskaya  Street,  house  No.  23, 
apartments  Nos.  1  and  4.  In  the  lat- 
ter Comrades  Goldberg  and  Spitzberg 
are  carrjang  on  the  observation  very 
successfully.  Telephones  have  been 
installed  in  the  above-mentioned  places. 
General  management  of  the  surveillance 
has  been  intrusted  to  AKred  von 
Geigendorf. 

Commissar:  Mitopovich. 

For  Secretary:  R  .  Baetski. 

Note. — Most  of  the  names  in  this  letter, 
including  the  signatures  at  end,  are  un- 
familiar. Peters,  placed  in  charge  of  French 
observation,  is  a  Lettish  sailor,  active  and 
able,  a  former  resident  of  England.  The 
robbery  of  the  Italian  ambassador  took  place 
late  in  the  evening  on  a  lighted  frequented 
central  street  and  was  a  day's  sensation. 
The  observation  point  on  the  American 
Embassy  was  a  yellow  apartment  house  al- 
most opposite  the  entrance.  After  I  got  this 
information  I  tested  the  ^vatch  and  always 
saw  a  head  or  hand  retreating  from  a  window. 
But  I  doubt  if  the  xvalchers  profited  7mick  by 
studying  the  visitors  to  the  embassy. 

Have  photograph  of  letter. 


Facsimile  Document  Number  29 

the  train.  If  they  had  belter  luck  than 
they  did  when  they  held  up  and  searched 
the  Italian  ambassador  in  hi.i  automobde 
almost  in  jront  oj  the  Hotel  Europe,  I  dM 
not  hear  oj  it.  Document  27  tells  oj  that 
robbery. 
Have  original  letter,  A'o.  S6. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  27 


n 


Commissar     on     Combating     the     Counter 
Eevolution  and  Pogroms,  No.  71. 

Petrograd,  Feb.  24,  1918. 
(Specially  Secret— Personal) 

To  THE  People's  Commissar  on  Fcm- 

EiGN  Affairs: 

Our  agent.?  investigating  the  Italian 
Embassy,  I.  E.  Maerov.  Imenit^ki,  and 
Urov,  followed  up  the  ambassador 
and  conducted  a  search  of  him  in  the 
street,  with  a  confiscation.  Docu- 
iiient.s  regarding  relations  \yith  Ger- 
man diplomats  and  the  special  papers 
of  the  ambass'idor  to  the  allied  am- 
bassadors, mentioned  by  you.  were  not 
found  In  order  to  mask  the  attack 
several  articles  li.stcd  in  the  protocol 
furnished  by  Comrade  Imenitski  were 
taken  from  the  aiiibaHsador. 

The  watch  on  the  British  and 
,\merican  ambassadors  and  the  Ser- 
bian minister  ha.s  been  intensified. 
The  supplementary  observation  point 
on  the  British  Embassy  has  been  estab- 


6R.  6ENERALSTAB. 

tENTSIL  HBTBEILDHl 

Section  M. 

24  ieapajta  1913.  r.x. 


rocnoA: 
J\ls;iaMS. 


JOBipHTejIJiHO. 


my  HapoflHOMy  KoMHCceipy  .no.~KHocTjPdHHNM£ 


V<' 


/j)^*^ 


My 


no  nopytieHiw  HMnepfKaro  HpaBiiTe;ii>cTBa  HMtw  msctb  npocnTS 
Bt  cpo4HOMi  nopflflKi  npoHSBecTH  aHKSTy  KaKlo  ToproBHfl  cyfla, 
BcnoMoraTQjibHHe  KpeKcepa  ii  TpaHcnopTU  Moryii.  (5uTb  oTtrpasJieHa 
Bi  Bcjiu  TMXaro  OKeaHa,   Tffi.  PepMaHCKoa  HpaBiiTO/.bCTBO  naMtpeuo 
co3flaTb  fl.'ifl  rtopbflu  CI  aMepHKaHo-anoHCKoii  ToproB.ieR  cnjibHtJtt 
KOMMepuecKiil  iJuiOTt,   n.r!aBaKimiR  noAi  pyccKinii  (|i;ioroui. 

BwicTt  ci  TftMt  flOBomy  flo  Baniero  CBtAiwiS,  mto  bi  EeLiTlB- 
CKOMb  t.iioTfe  Baam  MaTpoca  pacnpoAanyrt  cb  BoeHHaxi  nopa(5neR 
KaTepa,  Me;iKle  uenaHiiaMu,  Minniw  h  (Spohsobmh  MacTH  mpiimhi  h 
npoM.   He  flano-jiH     fiu  nocemy  CBoeapeMeHHHwi  noRHHTb  Bonpoc* 
0  npoAa«ii  repwaHlM  sthxi  pacxHutaouuxi  h  paesopflCMuxt  Boew- 
Huxi  Kopa(5;ietl. 

PtmeHie  npaadTOjibCTBa  (5.iaroBo;iiiTe  «Ht  cooOmHTb. 


Ha>»a.nbHiiKi  PyccKaro  OrntJia 
TepMaHCKaro  rdHOi<a.nbHaro  DiTaO 


Facsimile  Document  Number  28 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


15 


DOCUMENT  NO.  28 


Gr.    General    Staff.    Central   Division,    Sec- 
tion M,  No.  389. 

(Confidential) 

February  24,  1918. 
To  THE  People's  Commissar  of  For- 
eign Affairs: 

According  to  instruction.'?  of  the 
Imperial  Government,  I  have  the 
honor  to  ask  you  to  make  in  the  short- 
est po.ssible  time  an  investigation  as  to 
what  commercial  boats,  auxiliary  cruis- 
ers, and  transports  may  bo  sent  into 
the  waters  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  where 
the  German  Government  intends  to 
form,  for  tlie  purpose  of  opposing  the 
American-.Japanese  trade,  a  powerful 
commercial  fleet  flying  the  Russian 
flag. 


graph  as  indicating  the  use  against  America 
to  which  Gertnany  intends  to  put  Russia  is 
self-evident.  The  ludicrous  picture  painted 
in  the  second  paragraph  at  once  intensifies 
the  sliame  o/  tlic  ending  of  the  fine  new  Russian 
Navy  and  discloses  the  German  hope  of 
securing  and  refitting  the  vessels. 
Have  original  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  29 


G.    G.-S., 


Intelligence    Bureau, 
No.  883. 


Section    R, 


(Very  Secret) 

March  9,  1918. 
To  THE  Commission  for  Combating 
THE  Counter  Revolution: 
It  is   herewith   communicated   that 
for  watching,  and  if  neces.sary  attack- 
ing, the  Japanese,  American,  and  Rus- 

COKpeTHO. 


6fl.  GENEnuSTiiB. 

UITHI  IITHEIIiDXt. 


SeeUon  li./ii^ 

i£6.*eBpajifl..l9J8_c- 
jtJ'-f:?.,, 


pOBi. 


i^^f^d.^, 


•^    «^      OiAiJieHle  flbafia  KftieTi  nee**  npocjiTb  CB^RiHitl  o 

HacTEoeHitt  HanpaB.tfleuBxi>  Kh  HcKOBy  OTp/qjoBi  h  npe- 

flocTpperaeTi  oTt  BosMoaHhixi  neqajiBHaxi  floMcflCTBiK, 

ec;i)i  Bi  sTMXi  oTpHflaxii  SyfleTi  BecTMCb  naipioTiiMe- 

tfK&g  nponaranfla  h  erHTauiJi  npoTHBS  FepMaKCKoH  Ap- 

ulx. 

HttMajitHHKi  PyccKaro  OTfli.na 
repuaiiCKaro  rcH^ajibHaro  JliflUa.^/^ 


Facsimile  Document  Number  30 


At  the  same  time  I  call  to  j-our  at- 
tention the  data  that  in  your  Baltic 
fleet  your  sailors  are  selling  from  the 
war  ships  the  launches,  small  fittings, 
copper,  and  bronze  p.'irts  of  machines, 
etc.  Would  it  not  be  the  proper  time 
to  raise  the  question  of  selling  to 
Germany  these  war  vessels  which  are 
being  stripped  and  disarmed? 

Be  so  kind  as  to  communicate  the 
decision  of  the  Government. 

Head  of  the  Ru.ssian  Division  of  the 
German  General  Staff:     O.  Rausch. 
Adjutant:  U.  Wolff. 

Note. — Opposite  first  paragraph  is  the 
notation:  ^'Ask  Lomof.  Markin."  Latter 
was  one  of  Trotsky's  secretaries.  Opposite 
paragraph  second,  Markin  makes  notation. 
Refer  to  Raskolnikoff."  Latter  is  a  com- 
missar on  this  Naval  General  Staff ,  who  con- 
ducted conferences  with  German  officers  in 
Kronstadt  in  March,  April,  and  July,  1917 , 
and  an  active  aid  to  Dybenko  in  stirring  up 
the  Russian  fleet  to  revolt.  Do  not  know  who 
Lomof  is.    The  importance  of  the  fi,rst  para- 


sian  officers  who  may  command  the  ex- 
peditionary forces  in  eastern  Siberia, 
our  agents  Staufacher,  Ivrieger,  Geze, 
Walden,  Buttenhoff,  Dattan,  and 
Skribanovich  take  charge,  and  to  whom 
it  is  necessary  that  either  Commissar 
Kobozeff  or  any  of  those  named  by 
the  commission  must  apply.  The  ad- 
dresses of  the  agents  are  shown  in  list 
No.  3 

Head:  R.  Bauer. 

Adjutant:  M.  K .(?) 

Note. — Comments  to  "Telegraph  Kobo- 
zeff" and  "Telegraph  Streaberg,"  ivith  an 
illegible  signature,  appear  on  letter,  and 
below  it  is  the  order:  "Give  the  list,"  initialed 
"D.  Z.,"  corresponding  ivith  the  signing 
habit  of  Dzerzhinski,  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mission for  Combating  the  Counter  Revolu- 
tion. Beloiv  this  order  appears  the  list  of 
addresses,  as  follows. 

Report  according  to  list  No.  3. 

1.  Staufacher   Vladivostok,  Panoff's 

house. 


2.  R.  Krieger,  Nikolsk,  Ussurisky. 

'i.  A.  Geze,  Irkutsk,  drug  store, 
ZhinzherofT. 

4.  F.  Walden,  Vladivostok,  his  own 
house. 

a.  Buttenhoff,  lvhabarov.sk,  firm 
Kun.st  &  Albers. 

6.  Dattan,  Tomsk,  Nechayevskaya 
Street  (Initial  A.) 

7.  [Brothers  or  Baron]  Kuzberg, 
Harbin,  offices  of  the  Chine.se-Eastem 
Railway . 

8.  Skribanovich  (initial  G.),  Blago- 
vcschensk,  house  of  Kunst  &  Albers. 

9.  Panoff,  Vladivostok,  his  own 
house. 

This  letter  was  sent  me  after  I  left  Petro- 
grad  and  reached  me  A  pril  5 .  It  is  important 
not  only  for  content,  indicating  as  it  does  the 
names  and  addresses  of  agents-destructors 
who  are  called  upon  for  increasing  activity 
against  the  United  States  and  Japan  to  make 
the  Pacific  Ocean  a  new  area  of  terror,  but 
shcnmng  tliat  the  German  General  Staff  was 
contimdng  after  the  Brest-Litovsk  "peace"  to 
work  actively  with  the  Russiart,  Bolshevik 
Government. 

Have  original  letter. 


CHAPTER  rV. 

THE   PLOT   FOR    A    SHAMEFUL 
PEACE 

Germany  made  its  Russian  peace  with 
its  own  puppet  government,  the  mis- 
named Council  of  People's  Commissars, 
(he  president  of  which  is  Vladimir  Uli- 
uuov  (Lenin),  the  foreign  minister  of 
which  was  Leoir  Trotsky,  and  the  ambas- 
.sador  of  whicli  to  Germany  is  A.  Joffe. 
Germany  made  this  peace  harder  upon  the 
Russian  people  as  punishment  to  the  am- 
bition of  its  tools  in  seeking  to  become 
too  powerful,  and  in  hoping  for  a  little 
while  not  only  that  Russia  would  be  de- 
li\-ered  over  to  them,  but  that  they  could 
double-cross  their  masters  by  turning  a 
simulated  German  revolution  into  a  real 
one. 

But  their  craftiness  was  a  toy  in  the 
hands  of  rough  German  force.  Germany 
was  actually  double-crossing  them  by  ne- 
gotiating with  the  Ukranian  Rada  at  the 
moment  they  dreamed  they  were  tricking 
Germany. 

Germany,  however,  did  not  discard  the 
Bolshevik  leaders,  recognizing  their  fur- 
ther use  in  the  German  world  campaign 
for  internal  disorganizations  in  the  nations 
with  which  it  wars,  but  confined  them  to 
the  limited  inland  province  which  Great 
Russia  proper  has  now  become. 

Lenin,  according  to  statements  made 
public  as  soon  as  Trotsky's  spectacular 
device  of  "No  peace — No  war"  failed, 
alwaj's  was  for  peace  on  any  German 
terms.  He  dominated  the  situation  there- 
after and  conceded  everj-thing  that  Ger- 
many a.sked.  Nor  did  Trotskj-  cease  to 
continue  to  obey  the  German  orders  de- 
livered to  him  both  by  Gen.  Hoffman  at 
Brest-Litovsk,  and  at  Petrograd  directly 
by  the  Russian  Division  of  the  German 
General  Staff,  which  was  seated  in  Pet- 
rograd itself  from  November.  1917,  and 
which   was   still   there   in   full   operation 


16 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


when  I  left,  Monday,  March  4,  the  day 
that  Petrograd  received  notification  that 
peace  had  been  signed  at  Brest-Lit  ovsk 
by  the  Russian  and  German  delegations. 

Trotsky,  therefore,  rests  rightly  under 
the  accusation  of  having  staged  his  the- 
atrical scene  as  a  climax  to  the  Russian 
disorganization  desired  by  Germany.  The 
actual  order  he  gave  was  for  the  immedi- 
ate demobilization  of  the  Russian  army, 
leaving  the  German  army  unopposed. 

The  actual  effect  of  the  work  of  the 
Bolshevik  leaders,  moreover,  was  to  en- 
able Germany  to  combine  its  former  army 
of  the  Russian  front  with  its  western 
army,  for  the  launching  of  its  March  of- 
fensive in  France.  Such  has  been  the 
fruition  of  Russia's  German-directed  Bol- 
shevikism. 

The  following  documents  tell  the  story 
of  the  betrayal  of  Russia  to  a  shameful 
and  ruinous  peace. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  30 


G[reat]     General     Staff.     Central    Divisior 
Section  M/R,   No.   408. 

'Secret) 
February  26,  1918. 
To  THE  Chairman  of  the  Council  op 
People's  Commissars: 
This  Division  of  the  Staff  has  the 
honor  to  request  data  of  the  attitude 
of    the    detachments   teing    sent    to 
Pskoff  and  to  guard  against  all  possible 
disastrous  results  if  in  these  detach- 
ments   any    will    carry    on    patriotic 
propaganda  and  agitations  against  the 
German  army. 

Head  of  the  Russian  Division  Ger- 
man General  Staff:        O.  Rausch. 
Adjutant:  U.  Wolff. 

Note. — The  chairman  oj  the  Council  of 
People's  Commissars  is  Lenin.  At  the  top 
of  this  letter  is  the  written  comment:  "Urgent. 
Chairman  of  the  Council  of  People's  Com- 
missars asks  Vohdarsky  to  communicate 
this  to  the  agitation  dcpartmMt.  Secretary 
Skripnik."  Skrijmik  is  the  first  secretary  of 
the  Government,  personally  reporting  to 
Lenin.  A  second  notation  in  viargin  is: 
"Central  Executive  Committee  No.  823  to 
report,"  signed  with  illegible  initials.  The 
detachments  being  nerd  to  Pskoff  at  this  time 
were  composed  of  Red  Guards  and  of  the 
recrints  of  the  new  Red  Army.  Pskoff  luas 
taken  by  the  Germans  without  a  fight. 
Have  original  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  31 


G.    G.-.S.,    Inttlliucnco    FJureau,    Section    R, 
No.  7o0. 

(.Very  Secret) 

February  27,  1018. 

To    THE    PnESIDF.NT    OF   THE    CoUNCIL 

OF  People's  Commwsar.s: 

Not  having  received  an  exact  nn.swer 
to  my  que.stion  of  the  2.'ith  of  February, 
I  now  have  the  honor  a  scfond  time  to 
request  you  1o  inform  me  in  the  shorts 
est  possiole  time  the  numbers  and  kind 
of  forces  sent  to  Pskoff  and  Narva. 

At  the  sarno  time,  at  the  orders  of 
the  representative  of  our  General 
Staff,  I  once  more  remind  you  of  the 
deoimbilitv  of  nnTninp'  0<n>.  Pnrski  to 


the  post  of  commander  in  chief  of  the 
Russian  armed  forces,  in  place  of  Gen. 
Bonch-Bruevich,  whose  actions  do  not 
meet  the  approval  of  the  German  High 
Command.  Since  the  attacks  on  the 
lives  and  property  of  the  German 
landowners  in  Esthonia  and  Livonia, 
which,  accordmg  to  our  information, 
were  carried  out  with  the  knowledge  of 
Gen.  Bonch-Bruevich,  and  his  nation- 
alistic actions  in  Orel,  his  continuance 
in  the  position  of  general  is  no  longer 
desirable . 

Head  of  the  Bureau: 

Agasfer. 

Note. — Across  the  letter  is  loritten  "Send 
to  Trotsky  and  Podvoisky.  N.  G."  {Gor- 
hunov's  initials,  chief  secretary  of  the  Council 
of  People's  Cominissars.)  Obseruc  the  man- 
datory nature  of  the  whole  letter  and  particularly 
of  the  first  paragraph ,  Agasfer,  as  lias  been 
shown,  is  tlie  cipher  sigyiature  of  Maj. 
Liiberts,  head  of  the  Petrograd  Intelligence 
Bureau  of  the  German  General  Staff,  the 
chief  branch  of  the  Russian  Division,  of  the 
German  General  Staff,  the  head  of  which  is 
Maj.  Rausch,  referred  to  in  this  letter  as  the 
representative  of  "our  General  Staff."  .4;> 
■parenihj  both  Luberts  and  Rausch  wrote  a 
warning  against  sending  any  patriots  to  the 
defending  forces,  and  seemingly  the  Bolshevik 
effort  at  obedience  as  indicated  in  document 
No.  SO  was  7iotfast  enough  to  suit  the  German 
martinets.     Podvoisky  ivas  minister  of  war. 

Gen.   Parski  was  appointed  to  the  com- 


mand of  the  Petrograd  district,  and  as  late  as 
June  14  still  held  the  post.  He  formerly 
rcas  in  command  of  the  city  of  Riga,  which 
was  surrendered  to  the  Germans  tvithout 
adequate  defense  in  the  early  autumn  of  1917 . 
Have  original  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  32 


G.    G.-S.,    Intelligence    Bureau,    Section    R, 
No.  272/600. 

{Very  Secret) 

February  G,  191S. 
To  THE  People's  Commissar  of  For- 
eign Affairs: 

I  ask  you  to  immediately  give  the 
Turldsh  subject,  Carp  C.  ^lissirof,  a 
Russian  passport  m  place  of  the  one 
taken  from  him,  which  was  given  him 
in  1912  on  the  basis  of  the  inclosed 
national  passport. 

Agent  C.  Missirof  is  to  be  sent  to 
the  staff  of  the  Russian  High  Com- 
mand, where,  according  to  the  previous 
discussion  between  Gen.  Hoffman  and 
Commissars  Trotsky  and  Joffe,  he  will 
keep  watch  on  the  activity  of  the  head 
of  the  staff,  Gen.  Bonch-Bruevich,  in 
the  capacity  of  assistant  to  the  Com- 
missars Kalmanovich  and  Feierabend. 
For  the  head  of  the  Bureau: 

R.  Bauer. 
Adjutant:  Bukholm. 


/(7   <"«^;^K-J^. 


G»      Gm''S» 

NACHRICHTEN-BUREAU. 
Section  .   '^'^ 

Z'l  $e?.Dajrs  I9I8  r. 


^.CeKpetHO. 


r'.npe/t.Qtflo.Tejifo  Jo.^lTc  HapoflHii.\i,  KoMjfccapoBl. 


HacTomumas^  He  no;iy»jHai  voiHavo  OTstTa  wa  uoll  sairpoci 
OTi  25  (J-espaJia, ■  iiuiro  lecaB  BTOpir-mo  npocHti  at  cpo^ovii 

^IflOMUXl  KI.  riCKOBV  *'WapBt- 


OfiHOBpeuea 
■pqjiiHaro  ElTa^ 
Ha^jeHlfl  rtfi.  rifi 


p-yf^iK  UpeRCTaBHTQJta  Hanero  rsHO- 
anouHHaw  o  jtejiareJiBHOcTH  nas- 
,H(ffnocTi     BepxoBHaro  r.naBHOK0aaH- 
BQoBjawiHiiuH  cttHeaiH,   Bviicjo  reH«BoHi«b- 
y  iMiyBHtMP'T^feaTejm/icTii  KOT^paro  He  scTptsaeTi  co<iyBCTBln 
.'repiMWKar'o  BepxosHaro  KouaMflOBaHlH.  TenepL-ze,  aocxi 
noKymeHlft  Ha  aasHi.  k  HyymecTBO  HiwetiKaxt  eeji^neBJiaRiJiB- 
*K^eBt  Bi  3cT;iHHfiia  a  JIiKjuiaHflla,   iio ,   no  HaiDHMi  cstfli- 
HlHMi,   npoHBonuio  ci  Blfloiia  reu.  EoHyt-BpyeBtma  h  Haulo-«' 
HajjHOTBTiecKoE  fltHTcntpooim  ero  b»  Opni,  npefiuBauie  r^w 
Kepajia  fie.  ero  nocTy  HexejiaTonBHO. 


HawojiLiiHKi.  OTfli;ieHl;! 


r^ 


Facsimile  Document   Number  31 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


17 


Note. — litre  we  have  the  bMnd-lhc-scenc 
disclosure  of  llie  rcid  rclnlions  belioeai 
Trotsky  and  Gen.  Hoffman  at  Bresl-LUovsk , 
slripping  the  mask  from  the  public  pose. 
Trolsky  got  his  orders  in  tliis  case  and  he 
carried  them  out.  Across  the  top  of  this 
letter,  too,  he  has  written  his  own  conviction, 
"Ask  Joffe.  L.  T.,"  while  Joffe,  whone  rdle 
seems  to  be  that  of  the  mouthpiece  of  Germany, 
has  written  in  the  7nnrgin,  "According  to 
agreement  this  must  be  done.  A.  Joffe." 
Thereby  he  becomes  a  witness  for  the  agree- 
ment itself — that  pledge  between  himself, 
Trotsky,  and  the  military  chief  of  the  German 
Government  at  the  Brest-Litovsk  conference, 
to  betray  the  commander  of  the  Russian  army 
when  he  should  attempt  to  defend  Russia 
against  Germany.  A  further  marginal  note 
states  that  the  passport  was  given  February  7, 
under  the  Russian  name,  P.L.  Ilin. 

Have  original  letter  and  the  surrendered 
passport.  Kalmanovich  and  Feierabend  were 
Commissars  of  Counter  Espionage, 


THE  UKRAINIAN  DOUBLE-CROSS 

How  the  Bolsheviki  themselves  were 
double-crossed  in  the  Uki-aine;  how  the 
Germans  toyed  with  their  puppets  to  dis- 
organize Russia,  with  disclosures  of  plans 
for  assassination  of  loyal  Russian  leaders, 
are  shown  in  the  following  documents  and 
Mr.  Sisson's  accompanying  notes. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  33 


^    Counter  Espionage  at  Army  Headquarters, 
No.  63. 

January  10,  1918. 
To  THE  Commission  for  Comb.vtino 
THE  Counter  Revolution: 

The  Commissar  on  Combating  the 
Counter  Revolution  in  a  cijjhcr  tele- 
gram, No.  235,  demanded  the  sending 
of  special  agents  to  Kiefl  and  Novocher- 
kask. 

There  have  been  sent  Conu-ades 
Vlasenko,  Gavrilchuk,  and  Korablev, 
who  have  more  than  once  very  suc- 
cessfully performed  information  ser- 
vice. The  commissar  in  his  cipher 
telegram  indicates  that  the  German 
and  Austrian  ag  nts  assigned  from 
Petrograd,  Lieuts.  Otto,  Krcmer, 
Blum,  and  Vasilko,  are  playing  a 
double  role,  reporting  on  what  is  hap- 
pening at  Petrogi-ad,  and  they  carry 
on  an  intensive  agitation  in  favor  of  a 
separate  peace  of  the  Ukraine  with  the 
Central  Powers,  and  for  the  restoring 
of  order.  Their  work  is  having  suc- 
cess. 

To  Siberia  have  been  ordered  Com- 
rades Trefilev  and  Shepshelevich,  in 
connection  with  your  report  of  the 
pm-chase  and  export  of  gold  by  Austrian 
prisoners  in  Siberia. 

Director  of  Counter  Espionage: 

Feierabend. 

Secretary:  N.  Dracheff. 

Note. — So  stands  disclosed  the  manner  in 
which  Germany  set  about  to  double-cross  the 
Bolshevik  servants  who  in  success  had  be- 
come at  times  uppish  in  bargaining  with 
their  7nasters.  It  icas  not  a  part  of  the 
German  program  to  create  in  Russia  a  power 
wliich  it  could  not  at  any  time  control,  or,  if 
need  be,  overturn.  Its  plan  licre  had  the 
additional  advantage  of  not  only  disciplining 
the  Petrograd  Bolsheviks  but  also  of  disunify- 
ing  Russia  still  further.  It  worked  out  to  a 
separate  peace  with  Ukraine  and  a  separate 
peace  with  Great  Russia.  Lieut.  Otto  is 
the  Konsldn  aftenvards  arrested  for  some 
unknown  betrayal.     See  Document  No.  S. 

Have  photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  34 


Counter  Espionage  at  Army  Head<iuartei-ri, 
No.    511. 

January  30,  1918. 
To  THE  Commission  for  Combating 

Counter  Revolution: 

You  are  informed  that  the  German 
and  Austrian  officers  located  at  Kiefl 
now  have  private  meetings  with  mem- 
bers of  the  deposed  Rada.  They  in- 
sistently inform  us  of  the  inevitable 
siffiiing  and  ratification  of  peace  treaties 
both  between  the  Ukraine  and  the 
Central  Powers  and  between  Roumania 
and  Austria  and  Germany. 

Director  of  Counter  Espionage: 
Feierabend. 

Commissar:  O.  Kalmanovich. 

Note. — Corroborative  of  the  preceding 
document.  The  separate  peace  with  the 
Ukraine  already  had  been  signed. 

Have  photograph  of  letter. 


officer  referred  to  in  Document  So. 
cipher  signature  is  Schott. 
Have  photograph  of  letter. 


His 


DOCUMENT  NO.  35 


G.    G.-S.    Intelligence    Bureau,    Section    R, 
No.    181. 

{Very  Urgent) 

December  9,  1917. 
To  the  People's  Commissar  of  For- 
eign Affairs: 

In  accordance  with  your  request,  the 
Intelligence  Bureau  on  November  29 
sent  to  Rostof  Maj.  von  Boehlke,  who 
arranged  there  a  survey  over  the 
forces  of  the  Don  Troop  Government. 
The  major  also  organized  a  detachment 
of  prisoners  of  war,  who  took  part  in 
the  battles.  In  this  case,  the  prisoners 
of  war,  in  accordance  with  the  direc- 
tions given  by  the  July  conference  at 
Kronstadt,  participated  in  by  Messrs. 
Lenin,  Zinovieff,  Kameneff,  Raskolni- 
koff ,  Dybenko,  Shisko,  Antonoff,  Kril- 
enko,  Volodarsky,  and  Podvoisky, 
were  dressed  in  Russian  army  and  navy 
uniforms.  Maj.  von  Boehlke  took 
part  in  commanding,  but  the  conflicting 
orders  of  the  official  commander 
Arnautoff,  and  the  talentless  activity 
of  the  scout  Tulak,  paralyzed  the  plans 
of  our  officer. 

The  agents  sent  by  order  from  Petro- 
grad to  kill  Gens.  Kaledin,  Bogaevsky, 
and  Alexieff  were  cowardly  and  non- 
enterprising  people.  Agents  passed 
through  to  Karauloff.  The  communi- 
cations of  Gen.  Kaledin  with  the 
Americans  and  English  are  beyond 
doubt,  but  they  limit  themselves  en- 
tirely to  financial  assistance.  Maj. 
von  Boehlke,  with  the  passport  of  the 
Finn,  Uno  Muuri,  retui'ned  to  Petro- 
grad and  will  make  a  report  today  at 
the  office  of  the  chairman  of  the 
council  at  10  p.  m. 

For  the  head  of  the  Bureau: 

R.  Bauer. 


Adjutant: 


M.  K.- 


-(?). 


Note. — This  is  a  cold-blooded  disclosure 
of  a  German-Bolshevik  plan  for  the  assassitm- 
tion  of  Kaledin  and  Alexieff,  as  well  as  proof 
of  a  condition  often  denied  by  Smolny  during 
the  winter — that  German  prisoners  were  being 
ai-med  as  Russian  soldiers  in  the  struggle 
against  the  Russian  nationalists  on  the  Don. 
The  letter  also  contains  the  most  complete  list 
of  the  participants  in  the  July  conspiracy 
conference  at  Kronstadt.  The  marginal 
comment  opposite  the  assass-ination  para- 
graph, "Who  sent  them?"  is  in  an  unknown 
handwriting.     Maj.  von  Boehlke  is  a  German 


DOCUMENT  NO.  36 


G.    G.-S.,    Intelligence    Bureau,    Section    R, 
No.  136. 

(Very  Secret) 

November  28,  1917. 
To  the  Council  of  People's  Com- 
missars: 

In  accordance  with  your  request,  the 
Intelligence  Bureau  of  the  General 
Staff  informs  the  Council  of  People's 
Commissars  that  the  LTkrainian  Com- 
mission at  the  Austrian  High  Com- 
mand, in  which  participate  the  em- 
powered representatives  of  the  German 
Staff,  has  worked  out  a  plan  of  the 
activities  of  the  revolutionaries  known 
to  the  Council  of  People's  Commis.sars 
and  the  Central  Executive  Committee 
of  the  Council  of  Workmen's  and 
Soldiers'  Deputies — Chudovsky,  Boyar- 
sky,  Gubarsky,  and  Piatakov — who  are 
under  the  full  direction  of  the  Austro- 
Hungarian  High  Command. 

The  commander  in  chief  of  the  Rus- 
sian army  has  been  made  acquainted 
by  Schott  with  plans  of  the  Austro- 
German  High  Command  and  will  co- 
operate with  him. 

Head  of  Bureau:  Agasfer. 

Note. — At  this  early  time  there  was  har- 
mony all  around  on  the  Ukraine  program, 
Germans,  Austrians,  and  the  Commissars  in 
complete  brotherhood.  Schott  is  Maj.  von 
Boehlke  and  Agasfer  is  Maj.  Luberts. 
Have  photogrCTph  of  letter. 


CHAPTER  V. 
TROTSKY  AND   ROUMANIA 

The  machinations  of  Trotsky,  inspired 
by  the  German  Gen.  Hoffman,  for  the 
disruption  of  Eoumania  are  disclosed  in 
the  following: 


DOCUMENT  NO.  37 


Counter  Espionage  at  Army  Headquarters, 
No.  20. 

January  2,  1918. 
To  THE   Commission  on   Combating 

Counter  Revolution  : 

Commander  in  chief  Ivrilenlco  has  re- 
quested the  Counter  Espionage  at  the 
Army  Headquarters  to  inform  you  that 
it  is  necessary  to  order  the  following 
persons  to  the  Roumanian  front  im- 
mediately: From  Petrograd,  Commis-sar 
Kuhl,  "Socialist  Rakovsky,  Sailor 
Gnieshin;  and  from  the  front  the  chief 
of  staff  of  the  Red  Guard,  Durasov. 
These  persons  should  be  suppUed  with 
literature  and  with  financial  resources 
for  agitation.  To  them  is  committed 
the  task  of  taking  all  measures  for  the 
deposing  of  the  Roumanian  king  and 
the  removal  of  counter  revolutionary 
Roumanian  officers. 

Director  of  Coimter  Espionage: 

Feierabend. 

Secretarj':  N.  Drachev. 

Note. — This  marks  the  continuance  of 
large-scale  work  to  disorganize  the  Roumanian 
army.  That  it  advances  disappointingly  to 
Germany  is  evidenced  by  vengeful  steps 
taken  by  Gen.  Hoffman  and  Trotsky  from 
Brest-Litovsk,  when  in  the  middle  of  January 


IS 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


Y' 


-nim-ir---rf-r-, 


.5>    <' 


«v<,-N 


T.V 


■\^ 


P 


r«»Sr-.v..-  i 


o 

rt 

2 

t4-t 

o 

t-i 

o 
a 

a 
E 

t/i 

rt 

o. 

W) 

(A 
l-i    I 

I::  ^  ' 

U 
J=  ° 
O  °" 
.-     ui 

•5     CO 

?   a 


0)     o 


E  "5  ■£ 

'm  S    " 


Co*" 

0)   tn   o 
.2   n 


3    o 

H  -2 


3 

a  CO 
u 

03     y     (0     3 


C  I 

a  I 

.A  I 

O  I 


\ 


« 


*  s 
(5  5 


■;^.'v^ 


dsiit 


O  J<! 


E  SS 


.a  ^ 
"1  „ 

V  E 

>    3 

°  'i. 
•SO 


«     fs  "O 

o 

4-> 

J3   a  c 

'^ 

•«-'    m    ni 

^- 

♦^    «  J3 

n1 

e 

C          o 

O    «    > 

O 

c 

E 

o   ap 
iroff, 
-Bru 

CO 

■*-•      Wl    J2 

o 

o 

t 

^2  § 

1— > 

c 

c 

o 

C 

■o 

o  u     . 

T3 

^ 

O 

^ 

■20 

Jf    3    c 

0) 

< 

44 

3 

.5H  o 

XI 

E 

The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


19 


K^:-'^ 


.^ 


''^\f 


> 


K 


A 


.V. 


^ 

£ 


^ 

^ 

t 

s**^- 

J^ 

■    s 

^ 

>f% 

%. 

u 

v^ 

> 

\ 

T' 

c. 

^ 

- 

xV 

V. 

r' 

,\ 

A 

vV 

t 

^^ 

c 

c 

^•  V 

• 

V. 

-V 

<-- 

V 

1'. 

^ 

<      - 

( ■ 

V 

V 

<* 

'^. 

s 

1^ 

V  . 

-.l' 

(• 

> 

V. 

V 

i 

V. 

•'■•k-'. 

,\ 

■<r^'i> 

e 

'.-. 

i^i 

ts^;,:^-.. 

V 
-«'• 


,      ^O 


^^ 


^.A')^ 

r-'- 


«i!t 


1^ 


(    '^■ 


^■^  r;' 


#' 


H 


tr;. 


^BBiib 


Facsimile  of  face  of  Turkish  passport  surrendered  by  Missiroff.    Notice  that  the  passport  was  given  him  by  Turkey 
in  1911.    Letter  No.  32  indicates  that  he  had  a  previous  Russian  passport  delivered  to  him  in 

1912,  on  basis  of  Turkish  passport. 


20 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


(western  calendar)  Trotsky,  at  the  request  of 
Gen.  Hoffman,  ordered  the  arrest  in  Petro- 
grad  of  the  Roumanian  minister  Diamandi. 
(See  Document  37 A .) 

At  about  the  same  thrie  the  Roumanian 
public  gold  reserves  in  custody  mthin  the 
Kremlin  walls  at  Moscow  were  seized  by  the 
Russian  Goi'ernmenl.  Diamandi  was  re- 
leased from  arrest  at  the  demand  of  the 
united  diplomatic  delegations  at  Pelrograd, 
but  his  humiliations  continued,  and  on 
January  28  he  was  ordered  from  Pelrograd, 
being  given  less  than  10  hours  to  prepare  for 
the  departure  of  a  party  that  contained  many 
women  and  children.  Ambassador  Francis 
sought  in  vain  of  Zalkind,  who  was  acting  as 
Foreign  Minister  in  the  absence  of  Trotsky 
again  at  Brest,  for  an  extension  of  the  time 
of  departures.  The  Roumanian  parly  was 
thrown  pell-mell  on  a  train  at  midnight. 
It  was  delayed  in  Finland  on  one  excuse  and 
another,  not  immediately  apparent,  but  in 
three  weeks  the  minister,  leaving  behind  a 
large  part  of  his  people,  was  allowed  to  pro- 
ceed to  Torneo.  By  good  luck  he  reached 
there  the  day  after  the  Red  Guard  lost  Torneo 
to  the  While  Guard.  Tliat  day  saved  his 
life,  for  on  the  person  of  Svetlitzsky,  a  Russian 
commissar  who  joined  him  in  mid-Finland 
and  accompanied  him  to  Torneo,  was  found 
an  order  to  Timofcyeff,  the  commissar  at 
Torneo,  to  shoot  him.  Svellilzsky  ivas  shot 
instead.  When  I  passed  through  Torneo 
the  control  officer  talked  frankly  about  the 
details,  expressing  the  opinion  that  the  shoot- 
ing might  have  been  a  mistake,  as  it  was  not 
shoum  that  Svetlilzsky  was  aware  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  letter.  Svetlitzsky,  however,  was 
an  important  person  in  Pelrograd,  close  to 
Trotsky.  Our  American  party  brought  Gtir- 
anesco,  the  first  secretary  of  Ihe  Roumanian 
delegation,  oid  of  Finland  through  the  lines 
with  IIS.  He  had  been  in  Red  Finland  seven 
v.w'«.  Behind  us  at  Bjerrteburg  we  left 
several  families  of  Roumanians  who  had  de- 
parted from  Pelrograd  with  the  minister.  We 
would  have  liked  to  hove  In-oughl  them  through 
the  lines  of  the  two  armies,  but  our  venture 
was  loo  desperate  to  permit  unauthorized  addi- 
tion.tto  the  party. 

The  marginal  notation  on  this  letter  is 
"Execute,"  initialed  "Ch,"  the  sign  manual  of 
Chicherin,  the  relumed  exile  from  England, 
at  that  lime  Assistant  Commissar  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  now  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs. 

Have  photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT   37A* 


•  The  contents  of  this  letter,  written  by 
Joffe,  were  telegraphed  to  Washington  in  Feb- 
ruary, and  photographic  copy  of  letter  for- 
warded by  Ambassador  FrancLs  to  State  De- 
partment. 

No.  771,  AITair  of  Peace  Delegation 

(Gonfidential) 

Brest-Litov.9k,  December  31,  1917. 

To  THE   Coi:ncil  of  People's   Com- 
missars: 

Comrade  L.  Trot.«ky  ha.s  churned 
ino  to  bring  lo  Ihe  knowlcdf^n  of  the 
Courieil  of  People's  Commis.sars  the 
motive.s  for  h\^  «e|c({rjij)hifi  i)ro|)osul  to 
orreHtthe  Roimiuniim  diplomatic  ropre- 
sentatives  in  I'etershurK. 

flen.  HofTiii.'iii,  referring  lo  the  ron- 
ferenee  wliieh  hml  taken  pliiee  in 
Brest-Litovsk  between  (lie  liieiiibers  of 
the  German  and  Aiistro-IIuiiKarian 
delegations  on  iJeeember  2'.»,  ijresented 
totno  Rii.s.sian  di'lexation  in  <ho  name 
of  theClerrnnri  and  Aust  rian  Thief  fJom- 
roand  fa  deeiphered  radio-telegram  was 
exhibited  in  thi.i  (•onn<'etion)  a  con- 
fidenlinl  diiiiand  eoneerniriK  the  im- 
mediate ineiUiment  of  tho  floiimanian 
army  to  recogui^e  the  neceaaity  of  aa 


armi.stice  and  adopting  the  terms  of  a 
democratic  peace  pointed  out  by  the 
Russian  delegates.  The  implacability 
of  the  staff  and  the  whole  commanding 
force  of  the  Roumanian  army,  witli 
regard  to  which  the  Chief  Command  of 
the  German  army  has  received  the  most 
exact  agency  information,  spoils  the  ex- 
cellent impression  produced  in  Ger- 
many and  on  all  the  fronts  by  the 
Russian  peace  propositions,  which  has 
made  it  possible  to  again  stimulate  the 
popular  feeling  agni7tsl  England,  France, 
and  America  and  can  bring  about  an 
undesirable  and  dangerous  aggravation 
of  the  peace  question,  up  to  the  German 
army  going  over  lo  the  attack  on  our 
front  and  an  open  annexation  of  lite 
territories  occupied  in  Russia. 

The  general  expressed  his  opinion 
that  against  peace  might  be  the  Cos- 
sacks, some  Ukranian  regiments,  and 
the  Caucasian  army,  in  which  case 
they  will  also  doubtless  be  joined  by 
the  Roumanian  armies,  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  information  in  possession  of 
the  German  staff,  enters  into  the  cal- 
culations of  Kaledin  and  Alexieff.  It 
is  greatly  in  the  interests  of  the  Ger- 
man and  Austrian  delegations  that 
complete  harmony  should  prevail  on 
the  entire  Russian  front  as  regards  the 
conclusion  of  an  armistice  and  adopt- 
ing the  terms  of  a  separate  peace 
between  Russian  and  Germany,  seeing 
that  in  this  event  the  German  and 
Austrian  Chief  Command  will  propose 
to  Roumania  their  terms  of  peace,  and 
will  be  in  a  position  to  take  up  their 
operative  actions  on  the  western  front 
on  a  very  large  scale;  at  the  same  time 
Gen.  Hoffman,  in  the  course  of  a  con- 
versation with  Comr.  Trotsky,  twice 
hinted  at  the  necessity  of  immediately 
beginning  these  war  operations. 

When  Comr.  Trotsky  declared  that 
at  the  disposal  of  the  council's  power 
there  are  no  means  of  influencing  the 
Roumanian  staff.  Gen.  Hoffman 
pointed  out  the  necessity  of  sending 
trustworthy  agents  to  the  Roumanian 
army,  and  t,he  possibility  of  arresting 
the  Roumanian  mission  in  Petersburg, 
and  repressive  measures  against  the 
Roumanian  king  and  the  Roumanian 
commanding  forces. 

After  this  interview  Comr.  L. 
Trotsky  liy  cable  proposed  to  arrest 
the  Roumanian  mission  in  Petersburg 
with  all  its  members.  This  report  is 
being  sent  by  special  covirier — C!om- 
rade  1.  G.  Brossoff,  who  has  lo  prrsoii- 
ally  Iraiisinil  to  Commissar  Podniiskii 
some  infornniiion.  of  a  secret  characti  r 
regarding  tlic  semling  lo  the  Roumanian 
army  of  those  persons  whose  names 
Comr.  Brossoff  will  give.  All  these 
persons  will  be  paid  out  of  the  cash  of 
the  "German  Naphtha  -  Industrial 
Hank,"  which  has  bought  near  Bore- 
slav  the  business  of  the  joint-stock 
company  of  Fanto  &  Co.  The  chief 
direction  of  those  agents  has  been 
intrusted,  according  to  Gen.  Hoffman's 
indication,  to  a,  certain  \^dIf  Vonigel, 
who  is  keeping  a  watch  over  the  mili- 
tary agents  of  the  countries  allied  witli 
us.  As  regards  the  English  and 
American  dijtlomatic  representatives. 
Gen.  Hiiffmim  has  expressed  the  agree- 
meid  of  ttir  Girnian  slaff  to  the  measuns 
adojitid  Ijy  Comr.  Trotsky  and  Comr. 
I.azuuiniff  Willi  regard  lo  watching  over 
their  activity. 

Member  of  the  delegation: 

A.  JoKFE. 

[Marginal  Notations] 

Comr.  Shitkevitch:  'i'ake  copies  and 
send    to    the    Commiss.    for    Foreign 


Affairs,  personally  to  Comr.  Zalkind. 
[Passages    printed    above    in    italics 

marked'^  To  Sanders. 

Reported  January  4,  regarding  the 
■     arre.st  of  Diamandi  and  others. 

M.  Shitkevitch. 
January  5,  1918. — To  the  Chancery: 

Send  an  urgent  telegram  to  Trotsky 

about   the   arrest   of   the   Roumanian 

minister. — Savelieff. 

Note  (as  cabled  Feb.  9).— The  date  is 
January  12,  western  calendar,  Ihe  eve  of  the 
Russian  New  Year.  The  Roumanian  min- 
ister was  arrested  that  night  in  Pelrograd, 
and  only  released  on  the  united  demand  of 
all  onbassies  and  legations  in  Pelrograd. 
Since  then  he  has  beett  sent  out  of  Russia. 
The  letter  shows  that  Trotsky  look  Gen. 
Hoffman's  personal  demand  as  an  order  for 
action.  Most  imporlant  of  all,  however,  it 
strips  the  mask  from.  Ihe  Lenin  and  Trotsky 
public  proleslations  that  they  have  sotight  to 
prevent  the  peace  negotiations  with  Germany 
from  turning  lo  the  nrililary  advantage  of 
Germany  against  the  United  Slates,  England, 
and  France.  The  aim  here  diifctosed  is  in- 
stead to  aid  Germany  in  stimulating  feeling 
against  England,  France,  and  the  United 
Stales,  in  enabling  Germany  lo  prepare  for  an 
offensive  on  the  western  front.  A  German 
bank  is  named  as  paymaster  for  Bolshevik 
agilalors  among  the  Roumanian  soldiers. 
Is  "Wolf  Vonigel,"  the  field  director,  the  Wolf 
von  I  gel  of  American  notoriety?  The  simi- 
larity in  name  is  striking.  Finally,  Gen. 
Hoffman  and  the  German  slaff  is  satisfied  unth 
Trotsky's  watch  over  the  American  and 
English  diplomats.  Joffe,  who  signs  the 
letter,  is  a  member  of  the  Russian  Peace 
Commission.  Since  this  letter  was  written 
Zalkind  has  gone  lo  Switzerland  on  a  special 
7nission. 

Note. — (July  6,  1918).  He  did  not  reach 
there,  being  unable  to  pass  through  England, 
and  in  April  was  in.  Christiana. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  38 


Commission     for     Combating     the     Counter 
Revolution  and  Pogroms,   No.   - — . 

Petrograd,  Dec.  14,  1917. 

Major  von  Boehlke: 

E.STEEMED  Comrade:  I  liring  to 
your  notice  tliat  our  Finni.sh  com- 
rades, Hakhia,  Pukko,  and  Enrot  have 
advised  the  Commissar  for  Combating 
ihe  Counter  Revolution  of  the  follow- 
ing facts: 

1.  Between  the  English  officers  and 
the  Finnish  bourgeois  organizations 
there  are  connections  which  cause  us 
serious  apprehension. 

2.  In  Finland  have  been  installed 
two  wireless  stations  which  are  u.sed 
by  unknown  persons  who  communicate 
in  cipher. 

;'..  Between  Gen.  Kaledin  and  the 
American  mission  there  is  an  undoubt- 
ed communication,  of  which  we  have 
received  exact  information  from  your 
source,  and,  therefore,  a  most  careful 
supervision  of  the  American  Embassy 
is  necessary. 

These  reports  must  be  established 
exactly.  Our  agents  are  helpless. 
Please  excuse  (hat  I  write  on  the  of- 
ficial lett(-r  heads,  but  I  hasten  to  do 
this,  sitting  here  at  the  commission  at 
ail  extraordin.aiy  meeting.  Ready  to 
.service.  F.  Zalkind. 

Note. — The  written  comment  at  the  top 
of  llic  letter  is:  "Commissar  for  Foreign 
Affairs.  1  request  exact  instructions. 
Scholt."  It  is  von  Boehlke's  question, 
signed  with  his  ci/ihtr  name.  (See  docu- 
ment 5.)     The  leltir  may  imply  that  von 


Ike  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


21 


Boehlke  had,  in  the  opinion  of  his  good 
friend  Zaikind,  a  means  of  internal  obser- 
vation at  the  Ayncrican  Embassy. 
Bavc  ■photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  39 


Counter    Espionage    at    the    Army    Headquarters. 
No.    268. 

(Very  Secret) 

January   2.5,    1918. 
To  THE  Commission  on   Combating 
THE  Counter  Kevolution: 

The  23d  of  January  at  the  Army 
Headquarters  [Stavka]  there  took 
place  a  conference  at  which  there  par- 
ticipated Maj.  von  Boehlke,  a.ssigned 
from  Petrograd.  It  was  decided,  upon 
the  insistence  of  the  German  consult- 
ants, to  send  to  the  internal  fronts  the 
following  persons,  furnishing  theni  all 
powers  for  dealing  with  individual 
counter  revolutionaries: 

To  the  Don:  Zbikliorcv,  Rudnev, 
Krogultz,  and  Ernest  Delgau. 

To  the  Caucasus  Front:  Vassili 
Dumbadze,  Prince  Jlathabelli,  Sevas- 
tianov,  and  Ter-Baburin. 

To    the    1st    Polish    Corps   of    Gen. 
.    Dovhor-Menitsky    are    assigned    Dem- 
bitski,    Stetkus,    Zliimiitis,    and    Gas- 
man. 

Be  so  good  as  to  take  all  measures 
for  the  quick  assignment  and  the  ade- 
quate furnishing  of  the  assigned  per- 
sons with  money,  reserve  passports, 
and  other  documents. 

Senior  olhcer :  Peter  Mironov. 
Note. — This  is  an  assassination  order 
against  individuals.  It  was  not  success- 
ful against  the  Polish  general.  Dembadse 
and  Prince  Machabetli  were  German  spies 
implicated  in  the  Sukhomlinoff  affair  and 
sentenced  to  prinon,  but  afterwards  liber- 
ated by  the  Bolsheviks.  Lieut.  Col.  Dem- 
bitski  was  a  Bolshevik  Polish  officer.  Ba- 
liurin  was  an  assistant  chief  of  staff  under 
Krilenko.  The  letter  is  indorsed:  "Com- 
rade Lunacharsky.  Go  and  report  to  Com- 
rade Zinovieff,"  signature  illegible. 
Have  photograph  of  lettei. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  40 


Counter    Espionage    at    the    Army    Headquarters, 
No.    51/573. 

January  19,  1918. 

To  the  Commission  for  Combatino 
the  Counter  Revolution  : 

There  have  been  received  two  notes 
addressed  to  the  Supreme  Commander 
from  the  staffs  of  the  Austrian  and 
German  High  Commands.  These  notes 
inform  the  Army  Headquarters 
[Stavka]  that  the  organizer  of  the 
^•ohmteer  army  in  the  Don  region, 
Gen.  Alexieff,  is  in  written  communica- 
tion with  the  officer  personnel  of  the 
Polish  legions  at  the  front,  with  the 
view  of  getting  the  help  of  Polish  oth- 
cers  in  the  counter  revolution.  This 
information  has  been  received  by  the 
Austrian  agents  from  the  Polish  Bol- 
shevik Comrade  Zhuk,  who  pl?yed  a 
large  part  at  Rostov  diu-ing  the  No- 
vember and  December  battles.  On 
the  other  side,  the  representative  of 
the  German  Government,  Count  Lerch- 
enfeldt,  reports  of  the  rapidly  grow- 
ing movement  in  Poland  in  favor  of 
the  bourgeois  estate  owners'  imperial- 
istic plan  to  defend  with  arms  the 
greatest  possible  independence  of  Po- 
land, with  the  broadening  of  its  fron- 


tier.'i  at  the  expense  of  Lithuania, 
White  Russia,  and  Galicia. 

This  movement  is  actively  supported 
by  the  popular  democratic  party  in 
Warsaw,  as  well  as  Petrograd,  by 
military  organizations  guided  by  the 
counter  revolutionary  estate  owners 
and  the  bourgeois  Polish  clergy. 

The  situation  which  has  arisen  was 
discussed  on  the  16th  of  January  at 
the  Stavka  in  the  presence  of  Maj. 
von  Boehlke,  sent  by  the  Petrograd 
branch  of  the  German  Intelligence 
Bureau,  and  it  was  there  decided: 

1.  To  take  the  most  decisive  meas- 
ures, up  to  shooting  en  masse,  against 
the  Polish  troops  which  have  submit- 
ted to  the  counter  revolutionary  and 
imperialistic  propaganda. 

2.  To  arrest  Gen.  Dovbor-Menitsky. 

3.  To  arrange  a  surveillance  of  the 
commanding  personnel. 

4.  Send  agitators  to  the  Polish  le- 
gions to  consult  regarding  this  the 
Polish  revolutionary  organizations 
known  to  the  committee. 

5.  On  learning  of  the  counter  revo- 
lutionary activity  of  Polish  officers 
to  immediately  arrest  them  and  send 
them  to  the  Stavka  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Counter  Espionage. 

6.  To  arrest  the  emissaries  of  Gen. 
Alexieff,  Staff  Capt.  Shuravsky,  and 
Capt.  Rushitsky. 

7.  To  request  the  Commission  for 
Combating  the  Counter  Revolution, 
in  agreement  with  the  German  In- 
telligence Bureau  at  Petrograd,  to  ar- 
range a  surveillance  and  observation 
of  the  following  institutions  and 
persons : 

(a)  The  military  committee. 
(6)  The  Society  of  Friends  of  the 
Polish  Soldier. 

(c)  Inter-Party  Union. 

(d)  The  Union  of  Polish  Invalids, 
(p)  IMembers  of  the   Polish   Group 

of  the  former  state  Duma  and  council. 

(/)  The  chairman.  Lednitsky.  and 
the  members  of  the  former  Committee 
for  the  Liquidation  of  Affairs  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Poland. 

ig)  Boleslav  Jalovtski. 

ih)  Vladislav  Grabski. 

(i)    Stanislav  Shuritski. 

(j)    Roman  Catholic  Polish  clergy. 

(k)  The  Polish  Treasury  through 
which,  according  to  agency  reports, 
the  governments  of  countries  allied 
with  Russia  intend,  with  the  assistance 
of  the  New  York  National  City  Bank, 
to  supply  with  monetary  resources  the 
counter  revolutionary  camp. 

(?)  It  is  necessary  to  verify  the  pri- 
vate reports  of  several  Lithuanian 
revolutionaries  that  among  the  Church 
Benevolent  Funds,  which  are  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Polish  clergy,  are  the 
capitals  of  private  persons  who  hid 
their  money  from  requisition  for  the 
benefit  of  the  state. 

In  case  of  establishment  of  any 
connection  with  the  counter  revolu- 
tion, the  guilty  Polish  institutions  are 
to  be  liquidated,  their  leaders  and  also 
persons  connected  with  the  counter 
revolutionary  activity  are  to  be  ar- 
rested, and  sent  to  the  disposal  of  the 
Stavka. 

Chief  of  the  Counter  Espionage : 


Commissar: 


Feierabend. 
Kalmanovich. 


'Note.— Again  Oermany,  through  Count 
Lcrehcnfcldt,  was  intriguing  on  both  sides. 
Chiefly,  however,  the  significance  of  the  let- 
ter is  in  the  thoroughness  of  the  oictlined 
German  plan  to  crush  the  threat  of  armed 
opposition  from  the  Polish  legions  of  the 
Bussian  army.  The  troops  were  fired  upon, 
as  indicated.  The  preceding  document 
really  follou)S  this  in  natural  sequence.  The 
next  two  further  elucidate  the  situation 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Poles  of  the  outside 
world. 

Have  photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  41 


Counter    Espionase    at    llie    Army    Headquarters, 
No.    461. 

January  28,  1918. 

To  the  Commission  for  Combating 
THE  Counter  Revolution  : 

The  Special  Constituent  Commission 
on  the  conflict  with  the  Polish  counter 
revolutionary  troops  has  begun  its  ac- 
tivity. All  the  conduct  of  its  affairs 
has  been  located  at  the  Counter  Es- 
pionage at  the  Army  Headquarters 
[Stavka],  where  is  being  collected  all 
information  on  the  counter  revolution 
on  the  external  and  internal  fronts. 
At  the  commission  have  arrived  mem- 
loers  of  the  Commission  for  Combating 
the  Counter  Revolution,  E.  Miekono- 
shin,  I.  Zenzinov,  Zhihnski,  and  from 
Sevastopol  Comrade  Tiurin.  To  a 
conferpnce  were  called  agents  an- 
nouncing their  wish  to  be  sent  for 
conflict  with  the  bourgeois  Polish 
officers:  Lieut.  Col.  Dcmbitski,  Bole- 
slav Yakimovich,  Roman  Strievsky, 
Joseph  Yasenovsky,  and  Mikhail 
Adamovich.  All  those  agents  are  un- 
der obligation  to  carry  the  affair  to 
the  point  of  open  insubordination  of 
the  soldiers  against  the  officers  and 
the  arrest  of  the  latter. 

For  emergency  the  commander  in 
chief  ordered  to  assign  Nakhim  Sher 
and  Ilj'a  Raz}'mo\'  for  the  destruction 
of  the  counter  revolutionary  ringlead- 
ers among  the  Polish  troops,  and  the 
commission  recognized  the  possibility 
of  declaring  all  Polish  troops  outside 
the  law,  when  that  measure  should 
present  itself  as  imperative. 

From  Peterburg,  obsen-ers  an- 
nounced that  the  Polish  organizations 
are  displaying  great  reser\"e  and  cau- 
tion in  mutual  relations.  There  has 
been  established,  howe\er,  an  unques- 
tionable contact  between  the  High 
Military  Council  located  in  Peter- 
burg and  the  Polish  officers  and  sol- 
diers of  the  bourgeois  estate-owning 
class  with  the  counter  revolutionary 
Polish  troops.  On  this  matter  in  the 
Commissariat  on  Militan.'  Affairs, 
there  took  place  on  Januaiy  22  a  con- 
ference of  Comrades  Podvoisky.  Ked- 
rov,  Boretzkov,  Dybenko.  and  Ko\als- 
ky.  The  Commissar  on  Naval  Affairs 
announced  that  the  sailors  Trushin, 
Markin,  Peinkaitis,  and  Schultz  de- 
mand the  dismissal  of  the  Polish 
troops,  and  threaten,  in  case  it  is  re- 
fused, assaults  on  the  Polish  legion- 
aries in  Peterburg.  The  commander- 
in-chief  suggests  that  it  might  be  pos- 
sible to  direct  the  rage  of  the  sail- 
ors mentioned,  and  of  their  group,  to 
the  front  against  the  counter  revolu- 
tionary Polish  troops. 

At  the  present  time  our  agitation 
among  the  Polish  troops  is  being  car- 


22 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


2  •*»    E 


<s     o  _ 

•a 

c    a  CI 

ft*    «a  ^ 

be  -a  "3; 


ft 


3  ■"  4i 
«    E    «i 

3    «   -5 

^    (3      CO 
*"    1      = 

■s  !-s 
|tl 

a   S   :£ 

f  tl 

^   M3    <e 

1  s^ 


O    -ae     b 


5  8  5 
.2  "  = 

g  «  *• 

o    _    o 

§x  5  . 
s  « 

%%  * 
i  =  « 

^  ^  i 

§  s  i 


r  6  S  6_ 
:  S  2  .t  a 


Ie^I 


«  S  g  -o 

■  tj  a  o  o 


^^  .--  : 


;~    Si  =    c 

i'S  '2  '"  2  iJ 


,  ■=  0  .?  5  "^ 


O      M 


i  i  5  I 

g  o   a   >, 

a  o-  §  f . ' 

5  t  5  S 

'to- 
sses 

i  «  a  ° 
u  *  c  '^ 

■  *  "  « 

gill 

?  2  tf  p 
■^  3  »  H 
c>   I   ^   = 

di«  i  i 
4  c  « 
SI'S 


2  £ 

*»  5  5* 
c  Ef 

K  s  EM 

«    =    g    M 

O    u   c   2 

=  -35 

V    S     4>     > 

c       TJ  j: 

c  ass 

E-5.. 


5  ■"  S! 
^1  I 

=  ■»   (/> 

I  ^g 

=  i  o  3 

i  p  Sz 

3  £  .h  o 

•S  S  *   ■= 

o  -S  ■£  o 

o  ^  2  '^ 

j;  >  ^  :S 


■"I  as 


iS  13  J 

sa« 

£  t  a 


1  5  S 

5  3  o 

5     C     M 

5  »  5 

s  2«  i 

s  5  '  ^ 

2  S  2  ? 

t  E  2  w 


o   4/    =    * 
3  5  o  o 


3a? 
z  »  t 

f)  I  S 


«} 

bo 

0 

C 

■*-• 

fc! 

-«-< 

d 

tf) 

Tl 

0 

<u 

U 

u 

r: 

«4H 

m 

ffl 

F 

^ 

P. 

> 

0 

a 

r/l 

rft 

a 

a 

■s 

« 

c 

0 

s 

a 

tn 

Ph 

rn 

a 

CI 

d 

<1> 

cS 

c 

m 

M 

3 

rt 

« 

s  o 


o  c^ 


<u 

1> 

0 

u 

> 

C! 

u 


> 

o 

< 


a    ><    t-^ 


a    a 


£     B 


-■\^-^ 


•3  J3 


&2: 


te     U     lU 

>      nj      O 
O    Z     c 


fl( 


i-  e 

!2  e 


Si 

-a 


5  I 


5     e 
"=     § 

p.     <d     : 


i^    = 


!3 


II  > 


V 

i 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


23 


Facsimile  of  front  of  Finnish  passport  surrendered  by  Nevalainen  in  order  to  receive 
the  Russian  passport  referred  to  in  Document  Number  43. 


24 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


ried  on  in  very  active  fashion  and 
there  is  great  hope  for  the  disorgan- 
ization of  the  Polish  legionaries. 

Chief  of  Counter  Espionage: 

FeI  EH  ABEND. 

Secretarj-;  Iv.  Alexieff. 

Note. — Save  photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  42 


Counter     Espionage     at     the     ,\rmy     Headquarters. 
No.    21. 

January    28,    1918. 

To  THE  Commission   for  Comb.a.ting 
THE  Counter  Kevolution  : 

At  the  request  of  the  commander 
in  chief,  in  answer  to  your  inquir>-. 
I  inform  you,  supplementary  to  the 
dispatch,  that  the  funds  sent  with 
Maj.  Bayermeister  have  been  received 
here.  Among  the  troops  acting  on 
the  front  against  the  counter  revolu- 
tionaries have  been  prepared  several 
battalions  for  conflict  wuth  the  Poles 
and  Eoumanians.  We  will  pay  12 
roubles  a  day,  with  an  increased  food 
ration.  From  the  hired  sections  sent 
against  the  legionaries  have  been 
formed  two  companies,  one  from  the 
best  shots  for  the  shooting  of  officer- 
regiments,  the  other  of  Lithuanians 
and  Letts  for  the  spoiling  of  food  re- 
serves in  Vitebsk,  Minsk,  and  Mogilev 
governments,  in  the  places  where  the 
Polish  troops  are  situated.  Various 
local  peasants  have  also  agreed  to 
ittaek  the  regiments  and  e.tterminaie 
them. 

Commissar:  G.  Mosholov. 

Secretary:  Iv.  Alexieff. 

Note. — These  two  documents  shoiv  that 
the  policy  against  these  patriotic  soldiers 
was  one  of  merciless  extermination, 
financed  by  German  money,  handed  out 
by  a  German  officer.  Bayermeister  is 
named  in  Document  No.  5. 
Have  photograph  of  letter. 


CHAPTER    VL 
THE  COMPLETE  SURRENDER 
The  following  documents  show  the  com- 
plete  surrender    of   the   Bolshevik   leaders 
to  thf^ir  Oerman  masters: 


DOCUMENT  NO.  M 


C[reat]     General    StafT,    Central    Division, 
Section  M-R,  No.  411. 

February  26,  1918. 

(Very  Secret) 

To  THE  Council  of  Peoii,e's  Commis- 

SAB.S : 

According  to  instructions  from  the 
High  Commanil  of  the  German  Army, 
I  have  the  honor  to  remind  you  that 
the  withdrawing  and  disarming  of  tlic 
Russian  Red  Guard  from  Finland 
must  be  commenced  immediately.  It 
is  known  to  the  staflf  that  the  chief 
opponent  of  this  step  is  the  head  of 
the  Finnish  Red  Guard,  Yarvo  TIaap- 
alalnen,  who  has  n  great  influcnic 
on  the  Russian  trivnrm-hr  fcnniradrsl, 
I  refjuost  vnii  to  nHsrgn  for  this  Htrug- 
gle  with  Tfsapniainen  our  nxent,  Wal- 
ter Nevnlalncn    (Ncvalaiscllc),   lioarcr 


of  Finnish  passport  3681,  and  supply 

him  with  a  passport  and  passes. 
Head  of  the  Division: 

O.  Rausch. 
Adjutant :  U.  Wolff. 

Note. — Written  at  the  top  of  the  let- 
ter and  signed  N.  G.,  the  initials  of 
Lenin's  secretary,  Is.  Gorbunov,  is  the  or- 
der :  ' '  Send  to  the  Comynissar  of  Foreign 
Affairs  and  execute."  In  the  margin  is 
■trritten  "Passport  Sll — No.  393,"  btit 
unfortunately  the  name  under  which  the 
new  passport  was  given  is  7iot  mentioned. 
This  order  explains  the  withdrawal  of  the 
Uussian  Bed  Guard  from  Finland  in  early 
March  and  the  abandonment  of  the  Fin- 
nish Bed  Guard  to  its  fate.  The  latter, 
however,  took  care  of  the  disarming  both 
of  Btissian  soldiers  and  sailors  as  thcij 
left  Finland,  for  the  Finns  needed  guns 
and  ammunition.  The  Bussians  some- 
times fought  but  ivere  surrounded  and 
disarmed.  In  Helsingfors  while  I  was 
there  in  March  the  Bed  Guard  and  the 
sailors  were  fighting  each  other  nightly 
with  rifles  and  machine  guns.  One  of  two 
Finnish  Bed  Guard  leaders  almost  surely 
is  Nevalainen,  but  under  the  circum- 
stances I  do  not  care  to  speculate. 

The  order  to  hold  all  foreign  embassies 
in  Bed  Finland  was  given  coincidently 
with  the  appearance  of  one  of  them  upon 
the  scene.  The  excuse  offered  was  that 
foreigners  were  carrying  injormation  to 
the  White  Guard.  Simultaneously  influ- 
ence was  exerted  in  the  White  Guard  to 
increase  difficulties  in  passage  between  the 
lines.  It  is  reasonable  to  place  the  ob- 
stacles to  passage  created  on  both  sides 
of  the  Finnish  line  to  German  effort,  for 
German  aid  was  being  given  the  White 
Guard  openly  at  the  moment  it  was  in- 
triguing in  the  inner  councils  of  the  Bed 
Guard.  The  American  party  cornered  in 
Finland  escaped  only  by  persistence  and 
good  fortune.  The  British  Embassy  party 
was  passed  through  the  day  before  the 
closing  order  came.  The  French  and  Ital- 
ian Embassies  were  obliged  after  a  month 
of  vain  effort  to  return  to  Bussia. 

Have  original  letter  and  the  surrend- 
ered passport. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  44 


C.  C.-S..   Intelligence  Buriau,   Section  R,  No.  283. 

February   7,   1918. 
To  THE  Commissar  of  Foreign   Af- 
fairs : 

We  are  tokl  that  secret  service 
agents  attached  to  the  Army  Head- 
f|uarters  [Stavka]  are  following  Maj. 
Erich,  who  h.is  been  ordered  to  Kiefl'. 
1  ask  yon  to  take  urgent  measures  to 
remove  the  surveillance  of  the  above- 
named  officer. 
Head  of  the  Bureau:  Agasfer. 
Adjutant:  Bi'kiioi.m. 

Note. — Chieherin,  assistant  foreign 
minister,  initials  a  marginal  cowmen'., 
"Talk  it  over."  This  note  marks  the  pe- 
riod of  acute  irritation  over  the  Ukraine 
between  Bolsheviks  and  Germans.  Agos- 
fcr  is  Maj.  Luberts. 
Have  original  teller. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  45 


':.   ';    S.,  Inlelliijenre   lliir.iin,   Si-.lion    R.  No.  22B. 

February  4,  1918. 

To  THE  Commissar  or  Foreign   Af- 
fairs: 
By   instructions   of   the   reprpsentn- 

tive  of  our  stalT  I  have  the  honor  to 


ask  you  immediately  to  recall  from 
the  Ukrainian  front  the  agitators 
Bryansky,  Wolf,  Drabkiu,  and  Pitts- 
ker.  Their  activity  has  been  recog- 
nized as  dangerous  by  the  German 
General  Staff. 


Head  of  the  Bureau: 


Adjutant: 


Agasfer. 
Henbich. 


Note. — An  exchange  of  courtesies  of 
the  same  period  as  Document  No.  44. 
Chieherin  has  notalcd  it,  "Discuss." 

Have  original  letter,  and  also  photo  se- 
cured  earlier. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  46 


G.  G.-S.,  Intelligence  Bureau,  Section  R,  No.  238. 

February  3,  1918. 

To  THE  Commissar  op  Foreign  Af- 
fairs : 

According  to  instructions  of  the 
representative  of  our  General  Staff,  I 
have  the  honor  once  more  to  insist 
that  you  recall  from  Esthonia,  Lithu- 
ania, and  Courland  all  agitators  of 
the  Central  Executive  Committee  of 
the  Council  of  Workmen's  and  Sol- 
diers' Deputies. 


Head  of  the  Bureau : 
Adjutant: 


Aqasfer. 

BUKHOLM. 


Note. — Another  instance  of  the  time 
when  Germany  was  using  an  iron  hand  of 
discipline,  clearing  of  agitators  the  Prov- 
inces it  already  had  announced  ffls  inten- 
tion of  seizing  for  its  own.  The  letter 
was  referred  by  Markin,  one  oj  Trotsky's 
secretaries,  to  Volodarsky,  xvho  scents  to 
have  been  in  chareie  of  the  proletarian 
agitation  in  these  Provinces. 

Have  original  oj  letter,  and  also  photo 
secured  earlier. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  47 


G.  G.-.S.,  Intelligence  Bureau,  Section  R.  No.  317. 

To  THE  Council  of  People's  Com- 
missars : 

The  Intelligence  Bureau  has  re- 
ceived preci.so  information  that  the 
agitators  of  the  Potrograd  Council  of 
Workmen's  and  Soldiers'  Deputies, 
Volodarski,  BrosofT,  and  Guschin,  have 
completely  changed  the  character  of 
llin  Ksthimia  socialists'  activity, 
which  finally  led  to  the  local  German 
landlords  being  declared  outlawed. 
By  order  of  the  General  Staff  I  ask 
you  to  take  immedinto  steps  for  the 
restoring  of  the  rights  of  the  above- 
mentioned  German  Itindlorda  and  the 
recalling  of  the  agitators. 

For  the  head  of  the  Buronu: 

R.  Bauek. 
Ailjutant:  E.  Ratitz. 

Note.  — 7'/ii.«  order  for  the  release  of 
the  German  landlords  was  at  once  obeyed, 
and  the  act  of  stirrender,  evidently  at 
the  direct  order  of  Lenin,  to  tohnm  this 
letter  is  addressed,  marked  the  end  of  the 
incipient  rebellion  of  the  lintshevik  lead- 
ers  against   their  German   masters. 

Have  photograph  of  lelter. 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


25 


VARIED  ACTIVITIES 

The  following  documents  show  various 
miscellaneous  activities,  including  meas- 
ures for  the  assassination  of  counter  revo- 
lutionaries : 


IJOCUMENT  NO.  48 


Counter     Espionage     at     tlic     Army     Heudquartera. 
No.     — 

January    22,    1918. 

To  THE  Council  of  People's  Com- 
missars: 

By  our  agents  it  has  been  estab- 
liished  that  connections  between  the 
Poles,  the  Don,  and  French  officers, 
and  also  probably  the  diplomatic  rep- 
resentatives of  the  allied  powers,  are 
maintained  by  means  of  Russian  offi- 
cers traveling  under  the  guise  of  sack 
speculators.  In  view  of  this  we  re- 
quest you  to  take  measures  for  the 
strict   surveillance   of   the  latter. 

Commissar:  Kalmanovich. 

Note. — The  indorsement  on  this  is  iy 
GorbunojJ,  "Copy  to  inform  Podvoisky 
and  Dzerzhinsky."  The  jornier  was  War 
Minister,  the  latter  chairman  oj  the  Com- 
mission jar  Combating  the  Counter  Revo- 
lution. Sack  speculators  were  jood  ped- 
dlers who  went  into  the  provinces  and 
brought  food,  to  the  cities  jor  profitable 
sale.  Soldiers  practically  had  a  monopoly 
of  the  trade. 
Have  photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  49 


G[reat]   General  Staff,  Intelligence  Bureau, 
Section  R,  No.  151. 

December    4,    1917. 

To  THE      CoMMISS.Mil.AT      OF      MILITARY 

Affairs  : 

Herewith  the  Intelligence  Bureau 
has  the  honor  to  transmit  a  list  of  the 
persons  of  Russian  origin  who  are  in 
the  service  of  the  German  Intelligence 
Department : 

Sakharoff,  officer  First  Infantry 
Reser'i-c  Regiment ;  Ensign  Ter-Ary- 
tiuniantz,  Zanko,  Yarchuk,  Golovin, 
Zhuk,  Ilinsky,  Cherniavsky,  Capt. 
Postinkov,  Schneier,  Sailors  Trushin 
and  Gavrilov.  All  the  persons  men- 
tioned are  on  the  permanent  staff  of 
the  Intelligence  Bureau  of  the  German 
General  Staff. 

Head  of  the  Bureau: 

AOASPER. 

Adjutant:  Henrich. 

NoTE.^//ai'c  photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  50 


G[reat]     General     Staff,     Central     Division, 
Section  M,  No.  22. 

January   14,   1918. 
(Very  Confidential) 
To  THE   Chairman   of  the   People's 
CorxciL  of  Commissars: 
The  Russian  Division  of  the  German 
General  Staff  has  received  an  urgent 
report  from  our  agents  at  Novocher- 


kash  and  Rostoff  that  the  friction 
which  has  arisen  between  Gen.  Ale.xieff 
and  Gen.  Kaledin,  after  which  the 
vohmteer  corps  of  Gen.  Alexicff  be- 
gan the  movement  to  the  north,  is  a 
tactical  step  to  have  a  ba.se  in  the 
rear.  In  this  way  the  army  of  Gen. 
Alexieff  will  have  a  reliable  rear  ba.so, 
protected  by  Cossack  troops,  foi- 
supplying  the  army,  and  a  base  in 
case  of  an  overwhelming  movement  on 
the  part  of  the  enemy.  The  communi- 
cations of  Gen.  Alexieff  with  the 
Polish  troops  have  been  proved  by  new 
reports  of  the  Polish  Bolshevik  com- 
missars, Zhuk  and  Dembitski. 

Chief    of    the    Division    of    General 
Staff:  O.  Rausch. 

Chief  Adjutant:  R.  Krieger. 

Note. — Important  as  showing  that  the 
German  had  a  real  fear  of  the  military 
possibilities  in  the  Alexieff -Kaledin  move- 
ment. The  suicide  of  Gen.  Kaledin  at  a 
moment  of  depression,  following  betray- 
als that  undoubtedly  were  carefully  plot- 
ted, teas  tragiealhj  a  part  of  the  great 
national  tragedy. 
Have  photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  51 


Counter     Espionage     at     the     .\riny     Headquarters. 
No.    263/79. 

January  23,  1918. 

To     the     C0MMISSABI.4T     OF     FOREIGN 

Affairs  : 

To  your  inquiry  regarding  those 
agents  who  might  be  able  to  give 
an  exact  report  of  the  sentiment  of 
the  troops  and  population  in  the 
Provinces,  I  transmit  to  you  a  short 
list  of  the  Eusso-German  agents-in- 
formers: In  Voronezh,  S.  Sirtzoff; 
in  Rostoff,  Globoff  and  Melikoff;  in 
Tifiis,  Enskidze  and  Gavriloff;  in 
Kazan,  Pf altz ;  in  Samara,  Oaipoff 
and  Voenig;  in  Omsk,  Blagoveuschen- 
sky  and  Sijiko ;  in  Tomsk,  Dattan, 
Tarasoff,  and  Rodionoff;  in  Irkutsk, 
Zhinzherova  and  Geze ;  in  Vladivos- 
tok, Buttenhoff,  Panuoff,  and  Erlan- 
ger. 

Chief   of   Counter   Espionage: 

Feier.\bend. 
Commis.sar :  Kalmanovich. 

Note. — Apart  from  the  list  of  agents 
tliis  letter  has  ijilerest  from  the  comment: 
' '  To  the  company  of  Comrade  Boneh- 
Bruevich  and  Secret  Department."  The 
signature  is  illegible. 

Have  photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  52 


Counter     Espionage     at     the     Army     Headquarters. 
No.    395. 

January   21,   1918. 

To  THE  Commission  for  Combating 
the  Counter  Revolution  : 
The  agents  of  the  Counter  Espion- 
age at  the  Stavka  [Army  Headquar- 
ters] have  established  that  the  an- 
archists Stepan  Kriloff,  Fedor  Kut- 
zi,  and  Albert  Bremsen,  at  Helsing- 
fors,  and  also  Nahim  Arshavsky, 
Euphim  Levin,   and  Mikhail  Shatiloff 


had  during  the  recent  days  a  con- 
ference with  the  chief  of  staff  of  the 
Petrograd  army  district  Shpilko.  Af- 
ter Comrade  Shpilko  transmitted  to 
the  anarchists  the  offer  of  Comrade 
•  Antonoff  and  Comrade  Bersin  to  re- 
cruit agents  for  the  destruction  of  sev- 
eral counter  revolutionists,  the  latter 
e.'ciircssed  their  willingness  and  im- 
mediately begail  the  recruiting.  To 
Kieff  are  assigned  the  following,  who 
have  been  hired  at  Helsingfors:  S. 
Smirnoff  and  Rigamann ;  and  to 
Odessa,    Brack    and    Schulkovicli. 

For  the   Chief   of   the   Counter   Es- 
jdonage. 

Commissar:  C.  Moshlov. 
Note. — -r7ii.s  is  an  as.iassinaiion  com- 
pact between  Bolsheviks  and  anarchists. 
Antonoff,  if  one  of  the  chief  Bolshevik 
military  leaders,  is  credited  with  the  tak- 
ing of  Petrograd,  and  was  in  charge  of 
the  operations  against  Alexieff  and  Kale- 
din. The  list  of  anarchists  include  sev- 
eral notorious  characters. 
Have  photograph  of  letter. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  53 


Counter    Espionage    at    the    Army    Headquarters, 
No.    471. 

January    27,    1918. 

To  the  Commission  foe  Combating 

the  Counter  Revolution: 

By  us  here  there  has  been  received 
a  report  from  Finland,  from  Grishin 
and  Rakhi,  of  the  counter  revolu- 
tionaiy  activity  of  the  lawyer,  Jonan 
Kastren.  This  Kastren,  in  the  years 
1914-15  recruited  on  German  funds 
Finnish  volunteer  regiments  and  sent 
them  to  Germany.  For  facilitating 
the  work  of  recruiting  he  represented 
himself  as  a  Socialist-Maximalist,  and 
jiromised  support  to  the  Workers'  Red 
Guard.  In  his  office  in  Stockholm 
many  of  our  comrades  found  a  cordial 
reception  and  material  support.  Kas- 
tren furnished  to  Russia  German 
money  for  the  propaganda  of  Bol- 
shevism in  Russia.  He  had  already 
established  in  191G  a  division  of  the 
German  General  Staff'  in  Helsingfors. 
Now  he,  together  with  Svinhuvud, 
Ernroth,  and  Nandelschtedt,  is  on  the 
side  of  the  White  Guards  and  is  aid- 
ing them  with  money,  supplies,  and 
arms.  We  are  informed  that  Kas- 
tien  works  both  with  German  and 
English  money.  It  is  necessary  im- 
mediately to  cut  short  the  work  of 
Jonas  Kastren  and  his  group.  The 
commander  in  chief  advises  to  call  to 
Petersburg  the  Finnish  comrades, 
Rakhi  and  Pukho,  or  order  Grishin 
to  Helsingfors. 

Commissar;  A.  SiVKO. 

Secretarj-:  Iv.  Alexieff. 

Note. — Kastren  was  still  alive  when  I 
spent  a  treek  in  Helsingfors  in  ilarch, 
but  he  added  to  his  chances  of  longevity 
by  fleeing  in  early  February  to  the  White 
Guards  headquarters  at  Tasa.  The  order 
for  his  removal  came  too  late.  Again  we 
see  Germany  playing  with  both  sides  in 
Finland   at    the    same    time. 

Have  photograph  of  letter. 


26 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


APPENDIXES  TO  THE  REPORT 


APPENDIX  I 

DOCUMENTS  CIRCULATED  BY  ANTI- 
BOLSHEVIKI  IN  RUSSIA 
This  appendix  is  of  circulars  of  which 
(except  in  two  cases  noted)  I  have  neither 
originals  nor  authenticated  copies.  A 
number  of  sets  of  them  were  put  out  in 
Russian  text  in  Petrograd  and  in  other 
parts  of  Russia  in  the  winter  (1917-18)  by 
the  opponents  of  the  Bolsheviki.  The  cir- 
culars were  declared  to  be  copies  of  docu- 
ments taken  from  the  Counter  Espionage 
Bureau  of  the  Kerensky  Government,  sup- 
plemented by  some  earher  material  from 
the  same  bureau  when  it  was  under  the 
Imperial  Government.  The  opportunity 
for  securing  them  could  easily  have  been 
afforded  to  the  agents  and  employees  of 
the  Bureau,  for  most  of  the  employees 
walked  out  when  the  Bolsheviki  grasped 
the  Government,  and  could  have  taken 
freely  of  the  contents  of  their  departments. 
Some  of  the  documents  were  included 
in  the  publication  made  in  Paris,  hitherto 
referred  to. 

I  have  not  relied  on  them  as  proof, 
but  they  fit  to  other  fabrics  of  proof,  and 
in  the  light  of  it  are  more  valuable  for 
themselves  than  they  were  when  they 
stood  alone. 

Two  of  the  documents  among  those 
circulars  are  the  circular  of  industrial 
mobilization  of  June  9,  1914,  and  the 
"destruction  agents"  circular  of  November 
28,  1914.  (See  Document  3  of  my  Report.) 
This  group  of  circulars  came  into  my  hands 
"Ete"'flfSt  week  in  February,  1^18,  in  an 
English  version  with  the  unknown  transla- 
tor's notes  and  a  few  days  later  two  other 
sets,  one  in  English  and  one  in  Russian, 
reached  me.  I  prepared  a  digest  of  the  set 
and  .\mba.ssador  Francis  cabled  the  message 
in  code  to  the  State  Department  Febru- 
ary 9.  It  was  nearly  four  weeks  later 
before  I  secured  the  matter  referred  to 
in  my  Report  a.s  "Originals"  and  all 
the  photographs  listed  in  my  Report.  Two 
of  these  originals  were  of  circulars  I  had 
.seen  in  copy  form  four  weeks  earlier. 
That  summarizes  the  case  of  the  circulars 
of  the  appendix  considered  as  evidence. 
Edgar  Sisson. 


Analysis  of  German  conspiracy  matter, 
with  notes  as  prepared  by  me  and 
cabled  State  Department  in  Ambassa- 
dor Francis's  code  February  9,  1918, 
and  with  some  added  notes,  as  indi- 
cated.* 


DOCUMENT  NO.  54 


Circular  rcbruary  IS,  lltll. — IVoim 
the  Ministry  (of  Finance]  to  all  groups 
of  German  bunks  and,  by  agree- 
ment with  the  AuHtro -Hungarian 
Government,  thf^  Oeaterrcichische-Kre- 
ditan-stalt:" 

The  managementfl  of  all  German 
banks  which  are  tran.sacting  business 

•  Tho  U-xt  which  i»  preflentod  in  thij*  pui))ica- 
tion  Ia  in  tho  mnin  that  of  the  translation  intr> 
Cnfrlish,  by  an  unl<nown  trannlator,  which  wim 
cabled  to  tho  Stato  Department.  For  convenience 
this  is  called  version  A.  A  second  translation 
into  English  difTerinK  in  extent  and  phraseolotfy 
from  the  former  is  styled  version  B.  The 
mimeonrnphed  set  of  these  circulars  in  Russian, 
which  Mr.  .Sisson  secured,  is  referred  to  as 
version  C  ;  it  agrees  in  the  main  with  B  bo  far 
as  the  latter  extends.  Version  B  does  not  in- 
clude Documents  61  to  68  inclusive.  Passaifes 
printed  in  italics  in  the  text  are  in  version  A 
but  not  in  B  and  C ;  passages  in  braclteta  are 
1/1  B  and  C  but  are  omitted  in  ventoD  A. 


abroad  and,  by  agreement  with  the 
Austro-Hungarian  Government,  the 
Oesterreichische  -  Kreditanstalt  Bank, 
are  hereby  advised  that  the  Imperial 
Government  has  deemed  it  to  be  of  ex- 
treme necessity  to  ask  the  manage- 
ment of  all  institutions  of  credit  to 
establish  with  all  possible  dispatch 
agencies  in  Luleo,  Haparanda,  and 
Varde,  on  the  frontier  of  Finland,  and 
in  Bergen  and  .\rasterdam.  The  estab- 
lishment of  such  agencies  for  a  more 
effective  observation  of  the  financial 
interests  of  German  shareholders  of 
Russian,  French,  and  English  con- 
cerns may  become  a  necessity  under 
certain  circumstances,  which  would 
alter  the  situation  of  the  industrial 
and  financial  market. 

Moreover,  the  managements  of  bank- 
ing institutions  are  urged  emphatically 
to  make  provisions  for  very  close  and 
absolutely  secret  relations  being  estab- 
lished with  Finnish  and  American 
banks.  In  this  direction  the  ministry 
begs  to  recommend  the  [extremely  ac- 
tive] Swedish  Nia  Banken  in  Stock- 
holm, the  bankvig  office  of  Furslenberg, 
the  commercial  company,  Waldemar 
Hansen,  in  Copenhagen,  as  concerns 
which  are  maintaining  lively  relations 
with  Rassia. — (Signature)  No.  373. 
In  charge  of  Division  for  Foreign  Opera- 
tions. 

Note. — This  is  the  outline  of  the  basic 
financial  structure  begun  in  February,  191.',, 
five  months  before  war  ivas  launched,  and 
still  in  operation.  Notice  the  reappearance 
in  subsequent  Lenin  messages  of  towns  Luleo 
and  Varde.  Likewise  the  reference  to  Ameri- 
can bonis.  Olaf  Ashberg,  one  of  the  heads  of 
the  Nia-Banken,  came  to  Petrograd  a  month 
ago  (January,  1918)  and  on  the  icay  boasted 
that  Nia-Banken  was  the  Bolshevik  bank. 
He  was  overheard  by  one  of  our  own  group. 
He  secured  from  Smolny  permit  for  export 
several  hundred  thousand  gallons  of  oil, 
opened  at  Hotel  d'Europe  headquarters  where 
both  Mirbach  and  Kaiserling  of  German 
commissions  have  been  entertained,  negotiated 
urith  State  bank  February  1  contract  for  buyinij 
cash  roubles  ayid  establishing  foreign  credit  for 
Russian  Government.  Furslenberg  is  now  at 
Sinolny  using  the  name  Ganetzky,  is  one  of  tlie 
inner  group,  and  is  likely  soon  to  be  placed 
in  charge  of  Slate  bank.  Ashberg  now  in 
Stockholm,  but  reluming. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  55 


Circular,  November  2,  1914. — From 
the  General  Staff  to  all  militaiy  attaches 
[agents]  in  the  countries  adjacent  to 
Rus.sia,    France,    Italy,   and    Nonvay. 

In  all  branches  of  (iernian  banks  iii 
Sweden,  Norwny,  Switzerland,  [China,] 
and  the  United  Stales  special  wiir 
credits  have  been  opened  for  subsid- 
iary war  refjuircmeiitH.  The  Ciencral 
Staff  is  authorizing  you  to  avail  j'our- 
self  in  unlimited  mimhumIs  of  these 
credits  for  tho  destruction  of  the; 
enemy's  factories,  plants,  and  the  most 
important  military  and  civil  structures. 
Simultaneously  with  the  instigation  of 
strikes  it  is  necessary  to  make  provision 
for  the  damaging  of  motors,  of  mechan- 
isms, with  the  destruction  of  veasels 
[carrying]  military  supplies  to  enemy 
countrieBJ  setting  incendiary  fires  to 
Blocks   01    raw  materials  and  finished 


products,   deprivation    of    large  towns 
of  their  electric  energy,  stocks  of  fuel 
and  pi-ovisions.  Special  agents,  detailed 
to  be  at  your  disposal,  will  dehver  to 
you  explosive  and  incendiary  devices, 
and  a  list  of  such  persons  in  the  coun- 
try under    your  observation  who  will 
assume  the  duty  of  agents  of  destruc- 
tion.—(Signed)  Dr.  [E.]  Fischer,  Gen- 
eral Army  Councilor. 
Note  (Oct.  10,  1918).— 0/  the  typewritten 
versions  of  tliis  letter  in  my  possession,  one  is 
dated  June  9,  191  i,  and  tivo  are  dated  Nov.  2, 
1911,.     TIte  latter  is  the  more  likely  date,  and 
the  chances  are  that  June  9  is  a  typographical 
error.     No  evidence  value  has  been  placed  on 
this  circular,  as  the  introduction  to  this  chapter 
carefully  points  old. 

The  case  of  the  next  circular,  however.  No. 
56,  of  the  date  June  9,  is  different.  Here  the 
date  is  right,  and  has  the  corroborative  sup- 
port of  Document  No.  S. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  56 


Circular,  June  9, 1914.— General  Staff 
to  all  [district]  intendencies: 

Within  24  hours  after  receipt  of  this 
circular  you  are  to  inform  all  industrial 
concerns  by  telegi-aph  that  the  docu- 
ments    with     industrial     mobilization 
plans  and  with  registration  forms  be 
opened,  such  as  are  referred  to  in  the 
circular  of  the  Conariission  of  Count 
A\'aldersee  and  Count  Caprivi,  of  Jime 
27,  1887.— No.  421  re  Mobilization. 
[Versions  B   and   C   read:     Within   24 
hours  of  receipt  of  this  circular  notify  by 
telegraph   all  owners  of  industrial   enter- 
prises   to    open    packets    with    industrial 
mobilization    statistics    (or   specifications) 
and  plans,  as  stated  in  tho  circular,  etc. 
Both    versions   B   and   C   add   the   note: 
This  circular  was  seized  in  the  correspond- 
ence of  Major  Epeling  with  Consul  Count 
Lerchenfeldt.] 

Note. — This  is  the  content  of  circular  of 
irhich  I  have  original  German  printed  circular 
in  the  form,  in  which  it  is  reproduced  in  my 
report  in  connection  with  Document  N^o,  3. 
E.S.,JulyG,  1918. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  57 


Circular,  November  2,  1914. — From 
the  Imperial  Hank  to  tlie  representa- 
tives of  tho  Nia-Banken  and  the  agents 
of  the  Diskonto  Gcscllschaft  and  of  the 
Deutsche-Bank: 

At  the  present  time  there  have  been 
concluded  conver.salions  between  tho 
authorized  agents  of  the  Imperinl  Bank 
and  the  Russian  revolutionaries, 
Messrs.  Zinovioff  [here  anil  below  ver- 
sion A  has  ZenzinofT]  and  Lunncharsky. 
Both  the  mentioned  jjorsons  addressed 
themselves  to  several  financial  men, 
who  for  their  part  aildresscd  them- 
selves to  our  representatives.  \\c  are 
ready  to  sujjport  the  agitation  and 
propaganda  projected  by  them  in 
l{us.sia  on  the  [one]  absolute  condition 
t  hat  the  agitation  and  projjaganda  noted 
[planned]  by  the  above-mentioned 
Messrs.  Zinovioff  and  Lunacharsky  will 
touch  the  active  armies  at  the  front.  In 
case  the  agents  of  the  Imperial  Bank 
should  address  themselves  to  your 
banks  we  beg  you  to  open  them  the 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


27 


necessary  credit  which  will  be  covered 
completely  as  soon  as  you  make  de- 
mand oil  Berlin.— (Signed)  Kisser. 

[Addition  as  part,  of  document]: 
Zinovieff  and  Lunafharsky  got  in  toucli 
with  Imperial  Banlc  of  Germany 
through  the  banlcers,  D.  Rubenstein, 
Max  Warburg,  and  Parvus.  Zinovieff 
addressed  himself  to  Rubenstein  and 
Lunacharsky  through  Altvater  to  War- 
burg, through  whom  he  found  support 
in  Parvus. 

NoTK.  —  Lunacharsky  is  the  present 
People's  Commissioner  of  Education.  Par- 
vus and  Warburg  both  figure  in  tlie  Lenin  and 
Trotsky  documents.  Parvus  is  an  agent  at 
Copenhagen  (see  "New  Europe,"  January  SI , 
1918,  pp.  94-95).  Warbitrg  is  believed  to 
have  been  lately  in  Petrograd. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  58 


Circular,  November  28,  1014. — 
From  Naval  General  Staff  to  the  naval 
attache    [Version  C  reads   agents]: 

You  are  ordered  to  mobilize  immedi- 
ately all  destruction  agents  and  ob- 
servers [agents-observers  and  agents- 
destroyers]  in  those  commercial  and 
military  ports  where  munitions  are 
being  loaded  [may  be  loaded]  on  ships 
going  to  England,  France,  Canada,  the 
United  States  of  North  America,  and 
Russia,  where  there  are  storehouses  of 
such  mmiitions  and  where  [naval]  fight- 
ing units  are  stationed.  It  is  necessary 
to  hu-e  through  third  parties  who  stand 
in  no  relationship  to  the  official  repre- 
sentatives of  Germany,  agents  for  ar- 
ranging explosives  [explosions]  on  ships 
bound  for  enemy  countries,  and  for  ar- 
ranging delays,  embroilments,  and  con- 
fusions during  the  loading,  dispatching, 
and  unloading  of  ships.  For  thi;3  purpose 
we  are  specially  recommending  for  your 
attention  loaders'  gangs,  amongst 
whom  there  are  many  anarchists  and 
escaped  criminals  [and  that  you  get  in 
touch  with*]  Gernian  and  neutral  (ship- 
ping) offices,  and  [as  a  means  of  observ- 
ing*] agents  of  enemy  countries  who  are 
receiving  and  shipping  the  munitions. 
Funds  required  for  the  hii-ing  and  brib- 
ing of  persons  necessary  for  the  desig- 
nated purpose  will  be  placed  at  your 
disposal  at  yom-  request.— (Signed) 
No.  93.  Secret  Service  Division  of  the 
Naval  Staff.  Koenig. 

[Original  translator's  comment  {as 
part  of  document):]  The  above  docu- 
ment was  among  the  documents  seized 
during  the  investigation  of  the  fire  of 
the  storehouses  of  the  firm  of  Ivcrsen, 
and  among  the  documents  of  Consul 
Gering  and  Vice  Consul  Ceroid. 

*  In  the  German  circular  (see  Document  No. 
3)   but  omitted  in  versions  A,  B,  and  C. 

Note. — This  is  an  English  translation,  by 
an  unknown  translator,  of  circular  of  xMch  I 
have  German  printed  circular  in  form  in 
which  it  is  reproduced  in  connection  u'ith 
Document  No.  3.  See  my  Report,  Docu- 
ment No.  3.—E.  S.,  July  6,  1918. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  59 


Circular,  January  15,  1915,  from 
the  General  Staff  to  the  military 
attaches  (agents]  in  the  United  States: 

Inclosed  you  wiU  find  [original 
translator's  vote:  or,  we  are  sending 
you]  the  circular  of  November  2,  1914, 
for  your  guidance  and  its  application 
in  the  territory  of  the  United  States. 
In  tliis  connection  your  attention  is 


called  to  the  possibility  of  hiring 
destruction  agents  among  members  of 
anarchist  (labor)  organizations.— (Sign- 
ed) General  Army  Councilor,  Dr.  [K.j 
Fischer. 

[Original  translator's  comment  (as 
part  of  document):]  This  circular  is  re- 
cited in  the  letter  of  Dr.  Klassen  to  the 
board  of  the  Pan-German  League  in 
Stockholm,  which  was  intercepted  in 
Stockholm. 

Notes  (By  Edgar  Sisson,  July  0, 1918).— 
The  date  of  November  2  appears  in  typed 
version  as  I  have  seen  it,  but  probably  this  is 
error,  as  instruction  is  a  direct  sequel  to 
document  of  November  28  {No.  3) .  (Later.) — 
Nov.  a  is  right.  Nov.  28  was  to  naval 
agents.     This  is  to  military  agents. — E.  S. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  60 


Circular,  February  2:3,  1915.— Press 
Division  of  the  Ministry  of  Foreign 
Afi'airs  to  all  ambassadors,  ministers, 
and  consular  officials  in  neutral  coun- 
tries: 

You  are  hereby  advised  that  in  the 
country  to  which  you  are  accredited 
special  offices  are  established  for  the 
organization  of  propaganda  in  the 
countries  of  the  coahtion  of  powers 
which  is  in  a  state  of  belligerency 
with  Germany.  [Versions  B  and  C 
read:  in  countries  at  war  with  German 
coalition).  The  propaganda  will  be 
connected  with  the  stirring  up  of 
social  mirest  and  strikes  resulting  from 
it;  of  revolutionary  outbreaks;  of 
separatism  among  the  component  parts 
of  the  state;  of  civil  war;  and  will  also 
comprise  agitation  against  [in  favor  of) 
disarmament  and  the  discontinuation  of 
the  war  butchery.  You  are  requested  to 
cooperate  and  to  favor  in  every  way  the 
managers  of  said  offices.  These  per- 
sons will  present  to  you  proper  certifi- 
cates [credentials). 

(Signed)  Barthelm. 
[Original    translator's    comment     (as 
part  of  document):]  According  to  reliable 
information  to  this  category  of  persons 
belonged:  Prince  Hohenlohe,  B^ornson, 
EpeUug     [Eveling],     Karsberg     (Ker- 
berg),    Sukennikoff,  Pai'vus,    Fursten- 
bcrg  (Ganetsky),  Ripke,  and  probably 
Kelysiiko  (Kolishlco) . 
Note. — Here  is  the  exact  Gcrinan  formula 
for  the  incitement  of  war  "fro?n  the^^rear" — 
strikes,    ejforts    at    revolution,    tlie    use    of 
humanitarian  appeals  to  weaken  the  arm  of 
its  foes. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  61 


Circular,  October  14,  1916.— From 
president  of  KirdorlT's  Rhenish- 
Westphalian  Industrial  Syndicate  to 
the  central  office  of  Nia-Banken  in 
Stockholm,  to  Sevnsen-Baltzer,  rep- 
resentative of  the  Diskonto-Gesell- 
schaft  in  Stockholm,  and  to  Mr. 
Kirch  [Kriek],  representative  of 
Deutsche  Bank  in  Switzerland: 

The     Rhenish- Westphalian     Indus- 
trial Coal  Syndicate  charges  you  with 
the    management   of    the    account    of 
which  you  have  been  apprised  for  the 
support   of   Russian   emigrants   desir- 
ous of  conducting  propaganda  amongst 
Russian    prisoners    of    war    and    the 
Russian  army. — (Signed)  Kirdorff. 
Note. — This  docimicni  already  figures  in 
the  archives  of  several  Governments,   hanng 
been    intercepted    in    the    correspondence    of 
Prince  von  Buelow.     It  has  new  and  direct 


pertinency  on  tlie  Lenin-Trotsky  data  which 
follows  herewith. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  62 


Copenhagen,  June  18,  1917. 
Mr.  RuFFNER  [Rdffer],  HeLsingfors. 
Dear  Sir:  Please  bo  advised  that 
from  the  Disconto-Ge.selLschaft  ac- 
count 315,000  marks  have  been  tran-s- 
fcrred  to  Mr.  Lenin's  account  in  Kron- 
stadt,  a-s  per  order  of  the  Syndicate. 
Kindly  acknowledge  receipt:  Nilande- 
way  08,  Copenhagen,  W.  Haasen  & 
Co. — Svensen. 

Note. — Kronstadt,  tlie  navy  base,  was  the 
nerve  center  from  which  Lenin's  activities 
radiated  during  the  sumirwr,  both  before  and 
after  he  fled  Petrograd.  He  vxis  Twt  always 
there  hut  it  was  the  Bolshevik  domain.  The 
sailors  wei-e  ami  .still  are  his  first  dependence . 
Hansen  &  Co.  are  named  in  Document  No.  C/,. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  63 


Geneva,  June  16,  1917. 
Mr.  Ftrstenberg,  Stockholm: 
Please  note  that  at  the  request  of  Mr. 
Katz,  francs  32,000  (82.000J  have  been 
paid  for  the  publication  of  Maximalist- 
Sociahst  pamphlets.  Advise  by  tele- 
gram addressed  to  Decker  of  the 
receipt  of  the  consignment  of  pam- 
phlets, number  of  bill  of  lading,  and 
date  of  arrival.  —  (Signed)  Kriek, 
Deutsche  Bank. 

Note. — Fursienberg  is  named  in  Docw- 
ment  No.  64  and  is  Ganetsky  in  Petrograd. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  64 


Stockholm,  September  21,  1917. 
Mr.  Raphael  Scholan  [Sch.^ujiakn], 

Haparanda. 

Dear  Comrade:  The  office  of  the 
banking  house  M .  Warburg  has  opened 
in  accordance  with  telegram  from  presi- 
dent of  Rhenish-Westphalian  Syndi- 
cate an  account  for  the  undertaking  of 
Comrade  Trotsky.  The  attorney 
[agent}  purchased  arms  and  has  organ- 
ized their  transportation  and  dehvcry 
u])  to  Luleo  and  Varde.  Name  to  the 
office  of  Essen  &  Son  in  Luleo,  receivers, 
and  a  person  authorized  to  receive  the 
money  demanded  by  Comrade  Trot- 
sky.— J.  F\JRSTENT3ERG. 

Note. — This  is  the  first  reference  to 
Trotsky,  and  connects  him  with  Banker  War- 
burg and  Furstenberg.  Lideo  and  Varda  are 
Swedish  towns,  the  former  near  to  Hapar- 
anda, which  is  on  the  border  of  Sweden  and 
Finland. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  65 


Stockholm,  September  12,  1917. 

Mr.  Farsen,  Kronstadt  (via  Hel- 
singfors):  Carried  out.  your  commis- 
sions; passports  and  the  indicated  sum 
of  207,000  marks  as  per  order  of  your 
!Mr.  Lenin  have  been  handed  to  per- 
sons mentioned  in  your  letter.  The 
selection  found  the  approval  of  his 
excellency,  the  ambassador.  Confirm 
the  arrival  of  said  persons  and  the  re- 
ceipt of  their  counter  '■eceipts  — Sven- 

SON. 

Note. — See  Document  No.  61 .  Lenin  had 
received  more  than  half  a  million  marks  at 
this  date.    (See  also  Document  No.  68). 


28 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


DOCUMENT  NO.  66 


LuLEO,  October  2,  1917 

Mr.ANTONOv,Haparanda:  Comrade 
Trotsky's  request  has  been  carried  out. 
From  the  account  of  the  Syndicate  and 
the  ministry  [Original  translator's  note: 
probably  Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs 
in  BerUn,  press  di%'ision]  400,000 
kroners  Lave  been  taken  and  remitted 
to  Comrade  Sonia,  who  will  call  on 
you  \\-ith  this  letter,  and  will  hand  you 
the  said  sum  of  money. — J.  Fursten- 

BERG. 

Note. — Antonov  is  the  chief  military 
leader  of  the  Bolshei'iki.  He  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  forces  that  took  Petrograd.  He 
now  is  in  the  field  against  Kaledin  and 
Alexieff.  At  the  date  of  this  letter  Trotsky 
already  was  at  the  head  of  the  Petrograd 
Soviet  and  the  Bolsheviki  revolutibn  was  only 
a  month  away. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  67 


Berlin  [Copenhagen],  August  25, 1917 . 

Mr.  Olberg:  Your  desii-e  considered 
together  with  the  intentions  of  the 
Party.  [Version  C  reads:  Your  wish, 
based  on  your  correspondence  with 
M.  Gorky,  falls  in  entirely  with  the 
f^ifns  of  the  P^-ftv  /*  By  agreement 
with  the  persons  known  to  you 
1.50,000  kroners  are  transferred  to  be 
at  your  disposal  at  Furstenberg's 
office,  through  Nia-Banken.  Kindly 
advise  Vorivarts  about  everj-thing  that 
is  being  written  by  the  newspaper 
(of  M.  Gorky]  about  present  events. — 
Scheidemann. 

Note. — This  letter  from  Scheidemann,  the 
German  Socialist  leader,  links  him  with 
Furstenberg-Ganetsky,  with  the  Nia-Banken, 
and  with  the  subsidy  of  the  Russian  revolu- 
tion. "Voru-drts"  refers  to  Scheidemann' s 
organ  at  Berlin..  Scheidemann' s  roles  both 
as  German  peace  propagandist  and  as  Ger- 
man strike  quelltr  are  illumined  by  this 
letter. 

Note  (Sept.  12, 191SJ. — Gorky  did  support 
the  BoUheviks  before  they  came  into  power, 
but  almost  immediately  afterward  turned 
against  them. — E.  S. 


DOCUMENT  NO.  68 


Berlin,  July  14,  1917. 
Mr.    Mir    [Mor],    Stockholm:    We 
are  transferring  to  vour  name  through 
Mr.     I.     Ruehvergen     180,000     marks 
[.     Of   this   sum    Engineer   Steinberg 
will  transmit  140,000  marks  to  Lrtiin] 
for  the  expense  of  your  [his]  journey 
to   Finland.     The  balance  will  be   at 
your    disposal    for    agitation    against 
England  and  France.     The  letters  of 
Malianik    and    Stocklov,   which    were 
sent  [by  you]  were  received  and  will 
be  considered. — Parvus. 
Note. — Lenin  was  in  hiding  in  July.  Re- 
port   placed    him,    among    other    places,    in 
Stockholm.    Notice  that  the  agitation  is  to  be 
against  England  and   France.     It  took  the 
form  from  the  opening  days  of  the  Bolshevik 
revolution  of  attacks  upon  them  as  "imperial- 
istic nations."     Parvus  is  the  Copenhagen 
agent  already  referred   to. — E.  S.,  July  6, 
1918. 


APPENDIX  11 

ILLUSTRATING  THE  "OFFENSE  TACTICS" 
OP  THE  BOLSHEVIK  LEADERS  AGAINST 
GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
— A  CONVERSATION  BY  TELEGRAPH  BE- 
TWEEN CHICHERIN  .\T  PETROGRAD  (WHO 
IS  SPEAKING)  AND  TROTSKY  AT  BBEST- 
LITOVSK,  IN  FIRST  WEEK  IN  FEBRUARY, 
1918,  A  FEW  DAYS  BEFORE  TROTSKY 
MADE  HIS  "no  PEACE NO  WAr"  GES- 
ture, with  its  practical  .aspect  of 
demobilizing  the  army  and  opening 
Russia's  unarmed  breast  to  Ger- 
many. 

With  reference  to  the  allies  the  sit- 
uation is  evidently  favorable.  Sepa- 
rate peace  will  not  cause  a  rupture. 
England  has  reconciled  herself  to  this 
in  advance.  The  recognition  of  us  is  a 
matter  of  the  near  future.  England 
and  America  are  playing  up  to  us  sepa- 
rately. A  few  days  ago  there  appeared 
a  so-called  head  of  a  commercial  mis- 
sion, Lockhart,  with  a  letter  from  Lit- 
vinoff  stating  that  the  bearer  is  an 
honest  man  who  indeed  fully  sympa- 
thizes with  us.  Indeed,  he  is  a  subtle, 
alert  Englishman;  expresses  very  Mb- 
eral  views;  runs  down  his  Government. 
He  is  a  type  of  the  diplomat  of  the  new 
school.  At  present  he  is  not  an  official 
representative,  but  dc  facto  he  is  an 
envoy,  having  been  sent  by  the  war 
cabinet.  After  our  recognition  he  will 
obtain  an  official  position  with  us.  He 
promises  all  kinds  of  favors  from  Eng- 
land. 


He  explained  that  if  we  should  not 
spoil  the  situation  our  recognition  is  a 
question  of  the  near  future,  but  some- 
thing would  have  to  be  ceded  on  our 
part.  He  said  that  no  government 
could  tolerate  intervention  in  its  inter- 
nal affairs.  If  we  are  going  to  raise  the 
British  people,  if  our  agents  in  England 
will  attempt  to  cause  strikes,  England 
will  not  tolerate  this.  It  proved  later 
that  this  had  reference  to  Petroff's 
mission.  Concerning  the  latter  spe- 
cially Lockhart  said  that  his  appoint- 
ment would  be  difficult  for  England  to 
swallow,  and  should  he  be  arrested  in 
England  or  not  be  allowed  to  land  we 
would  probably  reply  by  reprisals,  and 
thus  the  whole  business  would  be 
spoiled.  He  begged  that  we  postpone 
this  matter  for  10  or  12  days. 

Simultaneously  Ransome  tried  to 
persuade  Petroif  not  to  go  to  England. 
His  journey  in  case  of  a  conflict  would 
put  the  question  of  a  revolution  in 
England  on  edge,  which  would  be  ex- 
ceedingly risky.  We  discussed  this 
question  and  decided  that  our  strength 
was  in  attack,  and  that  whatever 
would  happen  it  would  be  the  worse  for 
Lloyd  George  &  Co.,  and  the  revolu- 
tion would  be  the  gainer.  We  sent 
Petroff's  passport  to  be  viseed.  Lock- 
hart came  running  to  us.  I  arranged 
for  an  interview  with  Petroff.  Lock- 
hart stated  that  the  question  had  been 
referred  for  decision  to  London.  We 
said  that  Russia  represented  a  p.art  of 
the  world's  revolutionary  movement 
and  that  in  this  was  its  strength.  We 
and  our  comrades  in  England  would 
proclaim  that  this  is  not  a  concrete 
organization  of  strikes.  We  explained 
the  aini  of  Petroff's  mission — i.e.,  the 
clearing  up  of  misunderstandings  be- 
tween two  nations.  He  will  appeal  to 
all  organs  of  the  British  nation.  This 
has  also  been  sent  by  radio. 

Lockhart  stated  that  he  was  very 
well  impressed  and  promised  to  tele- 
graph advising  that  the  vise  should  be 
granted.  We  await  fmther  tlcvelop- 
ments.  He  stated  that  according  to 
English  information  the  German  troops 
on  the  eastern  front  were  so  badly  in- 
fected by  our  propaganda  that  no 
second  course  of  barrack  regime  could 
cure  them.  He  said  that  our  method 
of  fighting  militarism  was  the  most 
effective.  We  listened  to  this  and 
laughed  up  oui-  sleeves. 

Note. — There  in  the  last  sentence  we 
liave  it.  The  Bolshevik  plot  in  Russia 
could  be  placarded  a  cynical  jarce,  ij  it 
were  not  a  world  tragedy.  Thin  appendix 
is  jroni  an  intercepted  di.'<patclt  which 
came  into  the  possession  oj  Mr.  Sisson. 


PART  II 


I.    LETTER  OF  MR.  CREEL  TO  NA- 
TIONAL BOARD  FOR  HISTORI- 
CAL SERVICE 

Committee  on  Public  Information, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

October  18,  1918. 

Professor  Joseph  Schaefer,  Vice— Chair- 
man National  Board  for  Historical 
Service,  1133  Woodward  Building, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Dear  Sir:— Professor  Ford  tells  me  that 
the  Directors  of  the  National  Board  for 
Historical  Service  are  meeting  this  after- 
noon at  four  o'clock,  and  I  have  asked  him 
to  take  up  with  you  the  matter  of  consider- 
ing the  documents  recently  released  for 
publication  by  the  Committee  on  Public 
Information  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the 
intimate  and  continued  connection  of 
Lenin  and  Trotsky  and  their  immediate 
associates  with  the  German  Government. 

When  only  the  opening  installments  of 
the  series  of  seven  had  been  published,  the 
question  of  authenticity  was  raised  by  the 
New  York  Evening  Post.  The  rest  of  the 
press  of  America,  virtually  without  excep- 
tion, accepted  the  fact  of  publication  as^ 
evidence  of  the  genuineness  of  the  docu- 
ments; and  even  the  continued  attempts  of 
the  New  York  Evening  Post  to  rally  the 
forces  of  doubt  failed  absolutely,  only  two 
men  with  any  pretension  of  historical  knowl- 
edge joining  in  any  degree  with  the  Post. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  the  Conunittee  on 
Public  Information  was  committed  from  the 
first  to  a  policy  of  absolute  openness  with 
regard  to  these  documents.  While  never 
submitted  to  any  unofficial  body  for  pur- 
poses of  investigation,  it  is  nevertheless  the 
fact  that  they  have  been  gone  over  time  and 
again  by  various  agencies  of  the  Govern- 
ment, and  were  not  released  for  publication 
by  this  Committee  until  express  sanction 
had  been  received  from  the  highest  author- 
ities of  the  Government. 

It  was  our  idea  from  the  first,  and  it  is 
our  idea  now,  to  make  pamphlet  presenta- 
tion of  the  documents,  together  with  fac- 
simile reproductions  of  all  the  more  im- 
portant originals.  This  task,  attended  by 
many  mechanical  difficulties,  has  just  been 
completed. 

The  situation  that  now  faces  us  is  this: 
The  documents  were  given  to  the  press  with 
the  good  faith  of  the  G9vernment  behind 
them,  and  our  promise  is  out  to  present 
them  in  pamphlet  form  with  tlie  photo- 
graphic reproductions  of  originals.  We  can- 
not, in  any  manner,  afford  to  appear  dila- 
tory or  evasive,  nor  do  we  desire  to  publish 
the  pamphlet  without  taking  cognizance  of 
the  charges  that  have  been  made. 

What  I  would  like  to  do  is  to  present  the 
documents  to  a  Committee,  to  be  ap- 
pointed by  you,  together  with  the  charges 
that  have  been  made,  and  to  have  these 
charges  considered  carefully  with  a  view  to 
determining  their  truth  or  falsity.  If  you 
will  undertake  this  task,  I  would  not  desire 
to  place  any  time  limit  upon  you  in  any 
degree,  but  it  is  still  the  case  that  time  is 
the  very  essence  of  the  matter,  for  publica- 
tion has  been  promised,  and  is  waited  for 
daily.  May  I  suggest,  therefore,  that  you 
appoint  an  authoritative  committee,  small 
in  numbers,  and  that  this  committee  assem- 
ble at  once  here  in  Washington  where  the 
necessary  material  is  available  for  their  in- 
formation? 
Believe  me, 

Verj'  truly, 

George  Creel, 

Chairman . 


The  committee  as  appointed  by  the  Ex- 
ecutive Committee  oj  the  National  Board 
jor  Historical  Service,  in  response  to  the 
above  request,  consisted  oj  Dr.  J.  Franklin 
Jameson,  editor  oj  the  "Amcricaii  His- 
torical Review"  and  Director  of  the  D<part- 
meiil  of  Historical  Research  of  the  Carnegie 
Institution  of  Washington;  awl  Dr.  Siimwi 
N .  Harper,  Professor  of  Russian  Langwige 
and  Institutions  in  the  University  oj 
Chicago. 


II.  REPORT  OF  THE  SPECIAL 

COMMITTEE  ON  THE  GENUINENESS 

OF  THE  DOCUMENTS 

National  Board  for  Historical  Servke. 
Washington,  D.  C: 

October  26,  1918. 
George   Creel,   Esq.,   Chairman   of   the 
Committee  on  Public  Information,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C: 

Dear  Sir:— By  your  letter  of  October  18, 
addressed  to  the  vice-chairman  of  the  Na- 
tional Board  for  Historical  Service,  you  have 
asked  that  body  to  appoint  a  committee  to 
examine,  in  respect  to  their  genuineness, 
the  series  of  documents  purporting  to  show 
the  relations  between  the  Russian  Bol- 
shevist leaders  and  the  German  Govern- 
ment, which  were  released  for  publication 
in  the  September  newspapers  by  tlie  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Information.  You  have 
asked  that  such  committee  should  take  into 
careful  consideration  the  arguments  against 
the  genuineness  of  those  documents  put 
forward  in  the  columns  of  the  New  York 
Evening  Post,  with  a  view  to  deteiininc  the 
vaUdity  or  invalidity  of  those  arguments. 
The  undersigned  were  on  October  19  ap- 
pointed by  the  Board  named  to  serve  as  a 
committee,  and  were  requested  by  you  to 
report  our  findings  with  the  utmost  frank- 
ness, regardless  of  any  posit.ions  already 
publicly  taken  by  you  or  by  the  Govern- 
ment. In  pursuance  of  the.'=e  instructions 
we  beg  leave  to  submit  the  following  report. 

As  a  basis  for  our  work  you  have  laid 
before  us  proof-sheets  of  a  pami)hlet  edition 
of  these  documents,  entitled  The  German- 
Bolshevik  Conspiracy,  and  containing  fac- 
similes of  some  sixteen  of  the  documents  in 
question,  translations  of  documents  num- 
bered from  1  to  68,  and  of  a  few  other  docu- 
ments subjoined  to  them,  and  comments 
and  notes  by  Mr.  Edgar  Sisson,  who  pro- 
cured the  documents  and  editecl  them  for 
the  first  or  newspaper  pubhcation.  The 
translations  thus  laid  before  us  are  those 
which  appeared  in  the  newspapers,  and  the 
documents  bear  the  same  numbers,  by 
which,  accordingly,  we  shall  refer  to  them 
in  this  report.  Mr.  Sisson's  comments  in- 
clude some  additional  notes,  of  October 
date,  correcting  and  enlarging  his  previous 
comments  in  the  light  of  information  sub- 
sequently received. 

Concerning  the  translations,  though  in 
strictness  our  function  is  limited  to  exami- 
nation of  originals,  we  will  take  the  liberty 
to  say  that  the  versions  put  forth  for  pub- 
lication in  the  newspapers  are  marked  by 
grave  imperfections.  These  imperfections 
we  understand  to  have  arisen  naturally  from 
the  fact  that  Mr.  Sisson,  under  the  circum- 
stances in  which  he  worked  in  Petrograd  and 
at  other  successive  places,  was  obliged  to 
have  his  translations  made  by  several  dif- 
ferent hands.  Wliether  the  resulting  un- 
evenness  and  other  imperfections  should  be 
removed  before  publication  of  the  transla- 
tions in  a  more  permanent  form,  is  a  matter 
which  we,  of  course,  leave  to  your  discre- 
tion; but  we  are  obliged  to  allude  to  them 
because  they  have  laid  the  documents  open 

29 


at  certain  points,  some  of  which  will  be 
mentioned  later,  to  suspicions  which  the 
originals  of  those  passages  nowise  warrant. 

Upon  Mr.  Sisson's  inferences  from  his 
documents  we  do  not  understand  that  we 
are  expected  to  comment ,  nor  do  we  desire 
to  express,  or  to  be  influenced  by,  any 
opinion  respecting  the  conduct  of  Bolshe- 
vist leaders  or  German  officials;  our  pres- 
ent duty,  as  we  conceive  it,  is  confined 
merely  to  examination  into  the  genuine- 
ness of  a  specific  series  of  documents. 

You  have  also  laid  before  us  the  original 
documents  in  sixteen  eases,  and  in  the  other 
cases  the  photographs,  on  which  all  the 
translations  from  No.  1  to  No.  .53  were 
based,  and  also  the  mimeographed  texts  in 
Russian  from  which  were  made  tiie  tran.s- 
lations  from  No.  .54  to  No.  08.  Mr.  Sisson 
has  detailed  to  us,  with  all  apparent  candor, 
the  history  of  his  reception  of  the  docu- 
ments, and  has  permitted  us  to  question 
him  at  great  length  as  to  these  transactions 
and  as  to  various  points  relative  to  the 
papers.  Several  officials  of  the  Government 
in  Washington  have  obliged  us  by  contribut- 
ing other  pertinent  and  valuable  information. 

In  presenting  the  results  of  our  investi- 
gations, we  find  it  desirable  to  distinguish 
the  documents  into  three  groups:  first,  and 
much  the  largest,  (I)  those  presented  to  us 
in  Russian  originals  or  photographs — four- 
fifths  of  the  whole  set;  (II)  the  two  docu- 
ments presented  to  us  in  circulars  printed  in 
German;  (III)  those  documents  for  which 
no  originals  or  photographs  are  presented, 
but  the  translations  of  which  rest  solelj'  on 
mimeographed  texts  in  Ru.ssian,  purporting 
to  represent  originals  in  or  from  Russian 
archives. 

In  other  words,  our  first  group  (I)  con- 
sists of  the  documents  bearing  the  numbers 
1  to  53,  inclusive.  Our  second  ^oup  (II) 
consists  of  the  two  documents  which  appear 
translated  in  the  newspaper  publication  as 
annexes  to  document  No.  3.  They  also 
appear,  with  facsimiles,  after  No.  3  in  the 
proposed  pamphlet;  and  they  are  identical 
with  Nos.  56  and  58  in  the  appendix.  Our 
third  group  (III)  embraces  all  the  docu- 
ments of  Appendix  I  (Nos.  54  to  68,  inclu- 
sive) except;  Nos.  56  and  58.  We  comment 
upon  these  groups  separately. 

I.  The  originals  and  photographs  com- 
posing what  we  have  called  the  first  group 
are  all  in  the  Russian  language.  They  are 
tj^pewTitten  (save  one  which  is  printed)  on 
letter-heads  of  the  Petrograd  bm'eau  of  the 
German  General  Staff,  of  the  Counter- 
Espionage  at  the  Stavka  (army  headquar- 
ters), or  of  other  offices  in  Russia,  German 
or  Russian.  They  are  dated  according  to 
the  Russian  calendar  ("Old  Style"),  up  to 
Februar}-,  1918,  when  the  Bolshevist  Gov- 
ernment made  the  change  to  "New  Style." 
We  have  subjected  them  with  great  care  to 
all  the  applicable  tests  to  which  historical 
students  are  accustomed  to  subject  docu- 
ments of  the  kind,  and  to  as  many  others 
as  we  could  devise  and  use,  consistently 
with  the  need  of  making  a  reasonably  early 
report.  Besides  studying  whatever  inter- 
nal evidences  could  be  derived  from  the 
papers  themselves,  we  have,  so  far  as  we 
could,  compared  their  versions  of  what 
went  on  with  the  actual  facts.  Upon  the 
basis  of  these  investigations,  we  have  no 
hesitation  in  declaring  that  we  see  no  rea- 
son to  doubt  the  genuineness  or  authen- 
ticity of  these  fifty-three  documents. 

II.  The  two  documents  of  our  second 
group  seem  to  us  to  call  for  a  special,  a  less 
confident ,  and  a  less  simple  verdict .  Printed 
in  German,  they  purport  to  be  official  Ger- 
man orders  of  the  year  1914, — the  one  ad- 
dressed on  June  9  of  that  year,  seven  weeks 
before  the  outbreak  of  the  war,   by  the 


30 


The  GERMAN-BOLSHEVIK  CONSPIRACY 


General  Staff  ot  the  German  Army  to  dis- 
trict commandants,  enjoining  them  to  cause 
German  industrial  establishments  to  open 
their  instructions  respecting  industrial  mob- 
ilization; the  other,  dated  November  28, 
1914,  addressed  bv  the  General  Staff  of  the 
High  Sea  Fleet  to  maritime  agencies  and 
naval  societies,  and  caUin§  on  them  to 
mobilize  destructive  agents  in  foreign  har- 
bors, with  a  ^^ew  to  thwarting  shipments  of 
munitions  to  "England,  France,  Canada, 
the  United  States,  and  Russia."  The  prob- 
lem of  their  genuineness  must  be  considered 
in  connection  with  Documents  Kos.  56  and 
58  in  the  Appendix,  which  are  nearly  iden- 
tical with  them,  differing  in  sense  only  as 
Russian  translations  might  easily  differ  from 
German  originals. 

The  errors  of  tvpography,  of  spellmg,  and 
even  of  grammar,  in  these  German  circu- 
lare,  make  it  impossible  to  accept  them  as 
original  prints  of  the  General  Staffs  named. 
Certain  peculiarities  of  expression  tend  in 
the  same  direction.     In  the  naval  circular 
the  explanation,  in  parenthesis,  of  the  Ger- 
man word  Vereinigungen  by  the  Russicism 
Arlelen  (Russian  word  with  German  plural 
ending)  makes  it  impossible  to  think  of  the 
document  as  one  printed  by  the  German 
Naval  Staff  for  use  indifferently  in  all  the 
various  countries  in  which  there  were  Ger- 
man maritime  agencies  and  naval  societies. 
Furthermore,   the  reference  to  the  United 
States    is   puzzling.     On   the  other   hand, 
Document  No.  3,  a  protocol  which  presents 
e.xceptional    evidences   of   genumeness,   re- 
cords  the   transfer   from  Russian  archives, 
into  the  hands  of  German  military  officials 
in  Petrogi-ad,  of  two  documents  which  it 
not  only  designates  by  date  and  number  but 
describes;    and  date,  number,  and  descrip- 
tida-eefresposd-^  tfeoseel-the^t^o  paiJers 
in  question.     There   is  other  evidence  in 
Washington   of  the   existence  of  two  such 
circulars,  said  to  be  of  the  dates  named,  in 
Fctrograd     archives     in    1915.      Attention 
should  also  be  called  to  the  manuscript  an- 
notations on  the  circulars,  plainly  visible  in 
the  facsimiles.     On  both  appears,   in  blue 
pencil,  a  note  which,  properly  translated, 
reads:  "One  copy  given  to  the  Naclinchten- 
Bureau.—.\i- chive."     That  is  to  say,  one 
printed  copy  has  been  handed  over,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the   formal  record  made  in 
Document  No.  3,   to  the  Military  Intelli- 
gence Bureau  of  the  German  General  Staff 
(a  bureau   which   then   or  soon  after  was 
housed  under  the  same  roof  with  the  Bol- 
shevist Government ,   in   the  Smolny  Insti- 
tute), while  this  present  printed  copy  is  to 
be  put  in  the  Russian  archives.    The  circu- 
lar dated  June  9  bears  also  the  annotation 
in  red  ink,  "To  the  protocol  [of]  Nov.  2, 
1917,"  confirming  the  connection  asserted. 
We  do  not  think  these  two  printed  circu- 
lars to   be   simpl"    forgeries.     We  do  not 
think  them  to  b("    in  their  present  shape, 
documents  on  wl  )se  entire  text  historians 
or  publicists  can  safely    rely    as   genuine. 
If  we  were  to  hazard  a  conjecture,  it  would 
be  that  they  are  derived,  perhaps  at  one  or 
two  removes,  from  actual  documents,  which 
may  have  been  copied  in  manuscript  and 
at  a  later  time  reproduced  in  print.     In  any 
case,  they  have  no  relation  to  the  Bolshevist 
officials,   except   indirectly    through   their 


connection  with  Document  No.  3,  which, 
with  or  without  them,  shows  the  Petrograd 
office  of  the  German  General  Staff  desirous 
of  withdrawing  certain  papers  from  the 
Russian  archives,  and  the  Bolshevist  Gov- 
ernment complying  with  its  desires. 

III.  For  the  documents  of  our  third 
group,  apart  from  Nos.  56  and  58,  we  have 
only  the  Russian  mimeographed  texts.  The 
originals  of  nearly  all  of  them  would  have 
been  written  in  German.  We  have  seen 
neither  originals  nor  photogi-aphs,  nor  has 
Mr.  Sisson,  who  rightly  relegates  these  doc- 
uments to  an  appendix,  and  expresses  less 
confidence  in  their  evidential  value  than  in 
that  of  his  main  series,  Nos.  1  to  53.  With 
such  insufficient  means  of  testing  their  gen- 
uineness as  can  be  afforded  by  Russian 
translations,  we  can  make  no  confident 
declaration.  Thrown  back  on  internal  evi- 
dence alone,  we  can  only  say  that  we  see 
in  these  texts  nothing  that  positively  ex- 
cludes the  notion  of  their  being  genuine, 
little  in  any  of  them  that  makes  it  doubtful, 
though  guarantees  of  their  having  been  ac- 
curately copied,  and  accurately  translated 
into  Russian,  are  obviously  lacking. 

We  should  say  the  same  (except  that  its 
original  is  not  German)  of  the  telegraphic 
conversation  between  Chicherin  and  Trot- 
-sky,  which  Mr.  Sisson  prints  as  Appendix 
II.  The  letter  of  Joffe,  on  the  other  hand, 
dated  December  31,  1917,  which  he  prints 
just  after  his  No.  37,*  stands  on  as  strong 
a  basis  as  documents  Nos.  1  to  53,  for  Mr. 
Sisson  had  at  one  time  a  photograph  of  it. 
derived  in  the  same  manner  as  his  other 
photographs. 

As  to  the  Reichsbank  order  of  March  2, 
1917,  printed  by  him  as  an  annex  to  Docu- 
ment No.  1,  the  text  there  presented  docs 
nnt. _purport.  to  represent.  n\ore  tha"_'t,R  iji'n- 
eral  substance.  The  reader  is  not  asked  to 
rfly  on  its  accuracy  and  completeness,  and 
we  should  not  wish  to  do  so. 

It  remains  to  consider  the  specific  criti- 
cisms, as  to  genuineness  of  the  documents, 
advanced  by  the  New  York  Evening  Post. 
and  its  correspondents.  Most  of  them  fall 
away  when  it  is  known  that  the  main  series 
ot  documents,  Nos.  1  to  53,  are  written  in 
Russian  and  dated  in  accordance  with  the 
calendar  currently  used  in  Petrograd,  and 
when  it  is  considered  that,  as  is  well  known, 
the  Bolshevist  coup  d'etat  was  expected  in 
that  city  for  some  time  before  it  took 
place. 

Thus,  the  Evening  Post  (of  September  16, 
17,  IS,  21,  1918)  repeatedly  scouts  docu- 
ment No.  5,  dated  in  the  newspaper  pub- 
li<'ation  "October,  1917,"  and  document  No. 
21,  dated  November  1,  1917,— letters  ad- 
dressed by  the  Petrograd  bureau  of  the  Ger- 
man General  Staff  to  the  Bolshevist  Govern- 
ment— on  the  ground  that  on  those  dates, 
in  the  Beriin  calendar,  there  was  no  Bol- 
shevist Government,  the  Bolshevist  coup 
having  been  delivered  on  November  7  of 
that  calendar.  But  these  documents  are 
not,  of  Jierlin,  though  they  arc  typewritten 
on  letter-heads  bearing  that  name  in  print, 

*  Printed  as  Document  No.  37A  in  this 
pamphlet  edition.  It  should  be  noted  also  that 
the  "teleKraphic  convcrBation"  referred  to  is 
taken  from  an  intercepted  dispatch  which  came 
directly  into  Mr.  Sisson's  hands.  This,  perhaps, 
was  not  made  clear  to  the  committee. 


in  the  one  case  crossed  out  with  the  pen, 
in  the  other  case  not.  Document  No.  .5 
seems  to  have  been  written  in  Finland.  We 
have  been  able  to  make  out,  in  the  photo- 
graph, the  day-date  in  its  heading.  It  i.^ 
,15  October,  i.e.,  November  7  of  New  Style; 
and  the  Bolshevist  acknowledgment  at  the 
bottom  bears  the  date,  not  given  in  the 
newspaper  publication,  "27 .X. 1917,"  i.e., 
November  9  of  New  Style.  In  other  words, 
more  cannot  be  said  than  that  the  German 
General  Staff,  not  unaware  of  preparations 
of  which  all  the  world  was  aware  in  Petro- 
grad, was  prompt  in  action.  It  is  a  slight 
but  significant  touch  that  Colonel  Rausch, 
writing  from  Finland  on  the  day  when  the 
expected  outbreak  occurred,  styles  the  new 
org.anization  "Government  {Prai'ilelslvo)  of 
People's  Commissaries"  instead  of  "Council 
iSot'iel)  of  People's  Commissaries,"  the 
designation  actually  adopted. 

The  Post's  criticism  (Sejitember  16)  of 
Document  No.  2  on  the  ground  of  its  men- 
tion of  the  "Petersburg  Secret  Police"  (Okh- 
rana),  assumed  by  the  writer  to  have  been 
destroyed  on  Alarch  10  or  11,  seems 
to  us  to  have  no  conclusive  weight. 
The  old  Okhrana  was  abolished  by  the  rev- 
olution, but  the  revolutionary  Government 
itself  had  of  course  its  secret  service,  to 
which  a  German  might  continue  to  apply 
the  old  name. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Post,  Mr.  E.  J. 
Omeltchenko,  in  its  issue  of  October  4, 
rightly  finds  it  singular  that  Dr.  von 
Sehanz,  in  Documents  Nos.  8  and  9,  should 
be  represented  as  signing  himself  on  Janu- 
ary 8,  "Representative  of  the  Imperial 
Bank,"  and  on  January  12,  "President  of 
the  Imperial  Bank."  It  should  be  explained  * 
that  the  Russian  word  used  is  the  same  in 
bo'ili  caaPS,  Prcdsiarilcl,  but  that  the  trans- 
lator of  No.  9  wrongly  translated  it  "Presi- 
dent," while  the  tran.slator  of  No.  8  trans- 
lated it  rightly,  "Representative." 

Mr.  Omeltchenko  also,  v.h\\  reference  to 
Document  No.  8,  prints  figures  of  the  gold 
reserves  of  the  Reichsbank  and  of  the  Bank 
of  Sweden,  November,  1917,  to  January, 
1918,  in  the  belief  that,  if  the  Reichsbank 
had  at  the  beginning  of  January  given  the 
Bolshevist  officials  a  credit  in  Sweden  of 
50,000,000  roubles  gold,  these  figures  would 
show  the  fact,  ^^'c  are  informed  on  high 
financial  authority  that  the  Reichsbank 
would  be  able  to  effect  such  a  transaction 
by  means  much  less  easily  traced.  Mr. 
Omeltchenko  questions  the  need  of  the 
transaction,  but  the  insecurity  and  unset- 
tled conditions  prevailing  within  the  boun- 
daries of  the  old  Russian  eiiii)ire  might 
easily  account  for  the  desire  of  the  Bol- 
sheviki  to  establish  a  large  gold  credit 
abroad  without  the  necessity  of  actually  ex- 
porting gold. 

Professor  Edward  S.  Corwin,  in  the  sa,me 
issue  of  the  Evening  Post,  rightly  criticises 
(he  date  June  9,  1914,  for  Docmnent  No. 
55.  Its  proper  date  appears  to  be  Novem- 
ber 2,  1914.  The  niimeograijhcd  Russian 
text  bears  that  date.  A  translator,  prob- 
ably by  confusion  with  No.  56,  gave  it  the 
June  date. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

J.  Franklin  J.^meson. 
Samuel  N.  II.\iiri;n. 


D    000  902  323    5 


